









^' -^ 



* .0^ \D ^'V.T* A 






• <^ £» ■• 



& 



.'T?^. ' 



O 









« - » ' ^V^ 









O • * 






•n-o< 



C 



'*.^* 

'<*'^^ 



V 



' • o. 



O^ "....' ^0 ^^ . 






^^ .^ 



^ 






\^ 












V 






.; 



^ 







,^ 



^ 



.^' 



0' 






4 o 































0^ 



>1 







•" a'^ 







'•^, ^^ 



V 



4 O 







,**' .• 






\ 






^o. '*.7,-' .o'^ 



s* " ' 









^ ♦ 
X^^'-^ 



• • / y*- 






'^-•- 






0^ c v. ** * _ "^ 



o. *-...* A 






'^^v. 



^ v^ 






* ^<>1 

* V^ 






V 









4 O 









.**■ .'■., '<!' 



<^ - o . > 



-„,-.^';;^^>. %.o^^ f: 



.0^ o^""*. '^C 



u5 °^ - 



-.-^^A. . <- 






'V.^'^ ; 







•> 



^^ <^X. 









/..MV-i, ' 



\/ 



11 r - ^ t^ 



'■■"-• >..*" .«^"W. ~>-^^^' 



Lest of the Pioneers 



OR 



Old Times in East Teiiii 



l^lilNCi THr; 



Life and l^einiiiiscences of 

PharoohJticksonCliesney 

(Aged 120 Vccifs;.n-* 



> » 



t > 
J J » ^ 



• * 

• « 



» • > 
* > 



J. C WI:I^.STI:I? 

KNOXVILLI:, llzNN. 
1902 



I ^^"^ LIBRARY OFf 
' CONGRESS 

[Two C(.PL..s Rec^.v-. 

-''-''-• C^ 1902 

(Ci.AS^a.XXa No. 




f\NOXVIl.LL 4jf^ » 



Tennessee. 




• < 



« t 



CONTENTS. 

Page 

A Narrow Escape <j(j 

A Remarkable Negress 18 

A Year with No Summer (1816) 75 

Clarksville — Home of My Childhood 23 

Conclusion . . : 12*) 

Early Methods, Manners and Customs 43 

Early Roads 09 

Harvesting and Threshing 57 

Hiding the Knives 88 

House Raisings — The Corn Husking — The Quilting Bee. Etc. ..51-53 

Instances of Longevity 16 

Introduction 7 

John Chesney, Pharaoh's Last Master 93 

Last of the Pioneers — Pharaoh Chesney^Illustration. 

Mills 61 

Old Time Workings — Fire Hunting 49-50 

Pharaoh's Age— Bill of Sale 127 

Pharaoh's Master — Practical Jokes — Free Masonry 87 

Polk and Jones Debate at Blain's X Roads 89 

Preface 5 

Railroads 74 

Salt 64 

Sarah Jenifer, of Washington, D. C '-1 

School and Church — Teacher and Preacher 55 

Slaves and Slavery 97 

Special acknowledgment 4 

Superstition 116 

The First Steamboat on the Roanoke and Dan 27 

The Home of Pharaoh Chesney — Illustration. 

The Indians — Traditions — Praraoh's Recollections of Old Toka 31-40 

The Old-Time Tavern, or Ordinary 72 

The Old Time Wagon — Stage Coach 70-71 

The Underground Railroad 1 1'' 

The Wild Turkeys •!<'• 

Trip to the Western District ~" 



SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 

The writer is under special obligation to Mr. Robert 
Brice for valuable assistance in the publication of this vol- 
ume. He has been a friend of the enterprise from its incep- 
tion ; and his aid and encouragement have made it possible 
for the public to have this work. 

Mr. Brice is a prosperous, progressive farmer ; an enter- 
prising, public-spirited citizen ; and, at present, a candidate 
for Register of Deeds for Knox County. He would honor 
any position of trust or responsibility to which liis fellow 
citizens might call him. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 19<>'2. Uy 

J. C. WEBSTER. 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 




LAST OF THE PIONEERS— PHARAOH CHESNEY 



PREFACE. 



Dwelling alone, in a cabin of the most primitive descrip- 
tion, on the summit of Copper ridge, five miles south of 
Maynardville, Union county, Tennessee, is unquestional:)ly, 
one of the most remarka1)le men in the state of Tennessee, 
if not in the entire United States. He is remarkable not only 
on account of the great age to which he has attained, l)ut 
equally so on account of the wonderful preservation of his 
l)odily and mental powers. While it is impossible to assign 
the number of his years with absolute certainty, yet we are 
fully warranted in the assertion that he has undoubtedly 
l)assed the one hundred and twentieth mile-stone in his jour- 
ney of life; and from collateral circumstances, we may infcr 
that he may have reached, or even exceeded, a century and a 
(juartcr. The following pages will afford tlie reader some 
idea of his mental powers, nearly all of which were narrated 
l)y this old man within the present year ( li)0'?) : and at this 
great age, he cuts and splits his wood, makes his fires, and 
does the principal p3.vt of his cooking, liesides. he not un- 
frequently walks a distance of three or four miles and returns 
within a few hours. He has walked from his cabin to Cedar 
Ford, a distance of three miles, the voting ])lace of his dis- 
trict, and cast his ballot for every republican candidate for 
])resident, from Lincoln to McKinley. He, himself, is at a 
k)ss for the cause of his remarkable vitality : as he has been 



(> L.IST OF THE PIONEERS 

by no means a teetotaler, or strictly temperate in his habits. 
He laughinj^ly remarks that many of the modern laws of 
health would have to be reversed in his case. He has hccu 
sick only a few times in his life. While it has been his good 
fortune, under the peculiar regeme of his two masters, to 
escape much of the drudgery usually falling to the lot of a 
slave, he has been, nevertheless, a very industrious man, 
active and energetic. He was fond of most of the old-time 
sports, and his great strength and activity caused his recog- 
nition in games and feats of strength. 

Not less wonderful than his jihysical powers have been 
the strength and accuracy of his memory. Tn this respect, 
he is truly a prodigy. The incidents and occurrences of his 
past long life are apparently as vivid and clear to his mind 
as though removed but a few months in time. This fact in- ' 
duces the reflection that had he been reared under unfettered 
social conditions, and accorded the advantages of an educa- 
tion commensurate with the capacity of such a giant intellect, 
and with all the resulting powers of a liberal culture, he 
would easily have been the peer of B. K. Bruce, Fred Doug- 
lass, or Booker Washington. Let us fervently hope that his- 
tory may never so far repeat itself that there may prevail a 
social condition or instituti(Hi. that may ])r()vo a barrier to 
the progress of the human race; to quench the light of a 
glorious mind in the darkness of ignorance ; or to prevent a 
human soul from achieving the destiny intended for it by the 
Creator. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Alwut the time the pioneers of Tennessee were liaving 
their mightiest struggles in the effort to esta])hsh the first 
repubhc west of the Alleghanies ; about the time that John 
Sevier was making the supreme effort of his hfe in behalf of 
the 'state of Franklin; and al)out the time that John Tipton 
and his follower§ were making an equally heroic struggle 
to maintain in the colonies the government of North Caro- 
lina, there was born, on the banks of the picturesque Roanoke, 
at the little village of Clarksville, in Mecklenburg county, 
Virginia, a yellow lad, who was destined to witness, through 
a part of three centuries, the process of change and develop- 
ment, at the hands of man, of a wilderness, inhabited by wiUl 
and savage beasts, and scarcely less wild and savage men, 
into a country, blessed with every refinement and conven- 
ience of a progressive age. He was destined to live, witness, 
and realize the most sanguine hopes, and the full fruition of 
the labors and privations of these sturdy pioneers, who first 
led the wav into the vast trackless wilderness, and bravely 
met the dangers, and with a fortitude hardly equaled in the 
experience of mankind, endured the countless hardships in- 
cident to the settlement of this fair country of ours. The 
name of this yellow lad was Pharaoh Jackson. Born within 
a half dozen years of the signing of the Declaration of inde- 
pendence, and still remarkably vigorous in mnid and l)ody. 



s LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

at the end of the first year of the twentieth century, he has 
ohserved the clearing of the forest, the subduing of the sav- 
age, the erection of the log-cabin school and church house, 
the establishment of the simplest forms of government to 
meet the necessities and requirements of a band of settlers, 
and all the rude and primitive practices of a helpless and 
dependent people. Later on he has seen the experiment of 
more elaborate forms of government made, until, in the full- 
ness of time, he has seen established in our country, one of 
the best governments on earth, creating and fostering the 
most benign and glorious institutions ever vouchsafed to a 
deserving people. He has been a witness td the fact that this 
noble heritage has not been without the most serious cost to 
the noble men and women who have bequeathed it to us. 
Many of our most cherished ])rivileges are the dear purchase 
of the blood of our fathers. The civil and religious liberties 
that no one ever thinks of denying to us, and our entire im- 
munities from the dangers of a lurking, savage and treacher- 
ous foe, are greatly in contrast wdth times and conditions 
within the life and memory of Pharaoh Jackson. Appar- 
ently to him as yesterday, it was more the rule than the ex- 
ception to be rudely awakened from a sweet slinnber by the 
savage bowlings of hungry,' ferocious wolves, or the blood- 
curdling war-whoop of the savage Indian. Then scarcely a 
road deserving the name was to be found within the present 
state of Tennessee. He has lived to see macadamized turn- 
pikes putting the teamster within easy reach of every center 
of trade. Then, the only vehicle of travel was the rude, 
rumbling, rough, home-made wagon. He has lived to see, 
in all their beauty, convenience, and perfection, our modern 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS 9 

wag-ons, buggies and carriages. He has seen railroads 
spanning- the continent, carrying- civiHzation, art and im- 
provement to the far west. He saw the Indian gHding along 
the rivers of Old Virginia in his birch-bark canoe, and he 
saw the first steamboat that ever ascended the Roanoke 
river. He has picked cotton from the seed many a day, and 
al)out a pound of the fiber was the result of his labor, and he 
has lived to see a machine that would separate a thousand 
pounds of cotton from the seed in a day. He has lived in 
a time when it took two days for a letter to go from New 
York to Philadelphia, now he sees mail delivered to every 
family, six days in the week. Then the postage on a letter 
was 40 cents, now it is only 2 cents. 

He was a young man when the government was estab- 
lished at Washington, and when the young republic made its 
first effort at territorial expansion in the acquisition of Louis- 
iana, he was scarcely twenty-five. 

He was about twentv when Whitnev invented the cotton 
gin, and remembers the slaves talking of the "Yankee ma- 
chine" that would do the work of a thousand negroes. WIumi 
he was about ten years old, a cluster of log huts which had 
been built in the Ohio valley, was called Cincinnati, and this 
same pioneer settlement has, during his lifetime, become the 
metropolis of the great state of Ohio, with a water front of 
ten miles. 

Suppose, for instance, that when he was fifty years of 
age. his master had taken him to Fort Dearborn, on Lake 
Michigan. He would have found a little settlement of al)out 
a dozen log cabins, which the settlers had named Chicago. 
(1833V If he had lived there until the prf^cnt time he 



10 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

would have seen this little mud village become the fourth 
larj^est city in the world, with over three and a half millions 
inhabitants, the greatest railroad center, and the greatest 
grain and meat market in the world. 

Or. suppose he had been l)orn in New York City. When 
about ten years of age, he would have witnessed the inaugu- 
ration of Washington, as the first president of the United 
States (1789). When twenty, he could have witnessed the 
laying of the corner-stone of the City Hall (1803). At 
about twenty-two, he could have seen the first free school 
incorporated in the city (1805). When he was twenty-five, 
he could have seen Robert Fulton make the trial trip of 
the Clermont, the first effort at steam navigation in America 
(1807). In the same year he might have assisted, in some 
way, in surveying, and officially laying out the city. He 
might have crossed over to Jersey City when the first steam 
ferry was established, when about thirty years of age (1812). 
At the age of forty, he might have joined in the demonstra- 
tions in honor of General Lafayette's visit, when he was given 
the freedom of the city (1824). He might, the next year, 
have seen lighted the first gas lights used in the city (1825). 
In the same year, he might have participated in the imposing, 
ceremonies attending the formal opening of the Erie canal, 
when Governor Dewitt Clinton wedded Lake Erie and the 
Atlantic ocean by pouring a keg of the lake water into the 
ocean (1825). He would have been fifty-four when the ter- 
rible scourge of Asiatic cholera visited the city ; and three 
years older when the terrible conflagration of 1835, lasting 
three days, destroying 600 houses and $20,000,000 worth of 
property. 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 11 

Had he gone to St. Louis when he was thirty-five years 
old, he could have assisted in erecting the first brick build- 
ing in the city (1813). When about forty, he could have 
seen the first bank established (1816). Next year (1817), 
he could have witnessed the arrival of the first steamboat. 

When he was forty-six the city would have received its 
first charter (1822). He would have witnessed the great 
prosperity of the city attended by many adversities. In 1785 
and 1844 by great floods, occasioned by the swelling of the 
''Father of Waters;" in 1837 and 1847 by financial distress; 
in 1832 and 1848 by cholera; and in 1849 by fire. 

Baltimore was well started as a town when Pharaoh 
Jackson was born, but he was nearly eighteen years old when 
it was made a city and a mayor chosen (1796). 

Thus, it may be seen from the mention of these contem- 
poraneous events that the subject of our sketch is older than 
most of the distinctive features, and the conveniences that 
belong to the great metropolitan cities in the United States ; 
and, that had he lived in any of these great cities, he would 
have witnessed the first use of all the great inventions and 
improvements that have been perfected within the century 
just completed. 

Not only has he been a living witness to the marvelous 
inventive and constructive genius of the nineteenth century, 
and the gradual displacement of the primitive methods and 
customs, by those more modern and eflfective, but he has also 
witnessed the introduction of some of the greatest house- 
hold and economic inventions. 

Durine his life-time have occurred some of most notable 
events of history. We shall mention only a few, with the 



V2 LAST OF run PIONEERS 

remark that the occurrence of these events reached his cars 
as matters of news, and that at the present writing he re- 
meml)ers with distinctness, the impressions made upon his 
mind, and describes them with historical accuracy, dates ex- 
cepted. Adoption of the Constitution (178T), Whitney's 
cotton i^^in (1793). Purchase of Louisiana (1S02), Duel, in 
which Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton ( 1804), Burr's 
memorable trial at Richmond, before Chief Justice ^Marshall, 
for treason ( IMay. 1807), Fulton's steaml)oat (1807), War 
of 181?, the Seminole War (1835), as well as all the leadin^: 
events of more recent times. 

While he was yet a younjc: nian. assistini;- his master's 
■other slaves in clearin.e;' out the canes in the bottoms of the 
"Roanoke and Dan," \^ir£xinia and all the states south ex- 
cept South Carolina, extended to the Mississipjii river. 
North Carolina included the present state of Tennessee, 
\ irj^inia included the present state of Kentucky and W'est 
X'irginia. and Florida belonged to Spain. He has lived to 
see Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Michigan. Wisconsin, and Min- 
nesota carved out of the Northwest Territory — as well as the 
purchase, settlement, and development of all the great em- 
pire west of the Mississippi, and has joined in celebrating 
the addition of thirty-three new stars to the original thirteen 
on the American flag. He has not only lived to see the form- 
ation of this vast republic of ours by the voluntary union of 
so many independent states, but he witnessed the sanguinarv 
struggle in which the fairest land under the sun was drenched 
in blood as a result of the dismemberment of this union. He 
has seen the boys in blue marching under the stars and 
stripes, and the boys in gray marching under the stars and 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS I 13 

bars, each fighting for a principle regarded as sacred and 
precious as hfe. And after this bloody civil strife, he has 
seen the white-winged angel of peace hover over this heaven- 
favored land, and later, when a foreign foe disputed the 
cherished rights of Americans, has seen these battle-scarred 
veterans, marching under the same flag, actuated by the same 
motives, and fighting for a common cause. 

But the triumphs of war have been no less great and re- 
markable than have those of peace. Inventive and con- 
structive genius in the palmy, quiet days of peace, have made 
conquests of far greater consequences to mankind than have 
been the victories gained on fields of battle. The little nar- 
row creek meadow cut with an old Dutch scythe when 
Pharaoh Jackson was a full grown man, has been lengthened 
and widened until it has grown from one acre to fifty on ac- 
count of the invention of the mowing machine. Instead of 
the reap-hook to cut the grain, and a wooden flail to beat it 
out of the straw, the great wheat ranches of the west have 
machines to cut, thresh, clean, and sack the grain. Equally 
great changes, improvements and revolutions have taken 
place in every branch of human industry. Since the boy- 
hood of our sketch, great and mighty changes have swept 
the face of our great country. Progress in the arts and 
sciences has brought about so many and such varied improve- 
ments, and has occasioned such diversified industries in order 
to keep pace with human needs and amliitions, that in the 
space of this remarka])le life-time, the face of nature has 
undergone a transformation as sweeping and wonderful as 
that of the reputed wizard with his magic wand. 

The misera1)le wigwam of the savage Indian gave wav 



14 LAST OP THE PIOXEERS 

to tlic unpretentious but comfortal)le hut of the settler. 
This, in turn, as ambition prompted and prosperity per- 
mitted, was transformed into the old colonial mansion, the 
onlv evidence of which, enduring- to the present, is a heap 
of stones, and fragments of decayed timbers, scored in a 
primitive forest a hundred years ago. Beside these ruins, 
rendered sacred by time, tradition, and association, stands 
today the stately mansion, the acme of architectural design 
and mechanical execution. 

The forest, no longer affording a refuge and shelter 
for the skulking savage lying in wait for his pale-face brother, 
(^r the natural home of the bear, the deer, or the turkey — the 
hunter's paradise — has been leveled by the woodman's axe, 
and has become the fertile field, teeming with plentiful har- 
vests of golden grain, or carpeted with luxuriant herbage 
where flocks and herds roam at will. The splashing water- 
fall, beside which, perhaps the tired hunter sat and rested, 
or perchance the Indian warrior seated by the side of its 
sparkling waters, and gazing into its clear, hmpid depths, 
wooed his dusky mate, is directed by the hand of the artisan 
in an artificial channel, and made to turn the wheels of such 
machinery as contribute to the wants of an ambitious and a 
progressive people. The howl of the wolf, the scream of 
the panther, or the war-whoop of the savage no longer echo 
upon our hillsides or in our valleys. Such sounds were once 
the common but unpleasant music that greeted the ears of 
our forefathers. Old Uncle Pharaoh has heard all that in 
his time, and has been permitted to live to see a time when 
humanity may, after the day's toil, retire in peace and secur- 
ity, and in sweet repose, await the coming of the dawn. The 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 15 

summons for him to answer the roll-call on the other shore 
has been delayed until the mighty struggles for independence 
are over, and all the garments once dyed in blood have 
changed to mantles of ministering charity, and the white- 
winged angel of peace has hovered over our country. Like 
good old Simeon, he is ready, and exclaims, '"Lord, let thy 
servant depart in peace ; for mine eyes have seen thy salva- 
tion." 

But the point sought to be made by these observations 
and illustrations, is that our country has not only passed 
through all these changes, but has done so within the space 
of a human life. This life, prolonged to a remarkable length, 
through the mercy and wisdom of Him "Who doeth all things 
well," is perhaps the most wonderful survival of three cen- 
turies. This life has witnessed the beginning of what has 
culminated through the genius of man, aided by the forces 
of nature, in achievements that are today the wonders of the 
age. His eyes have followed each step from the uncertain 
experiment through each round of improvement in the ladder 
of perfection, until the topmost round is reached ; and as 
genius pauses and surveys below him the century's conquest, 
and just as he shades his eyes in the effort to penetrate the 
invisible realms of the spirit world, a voice echoes, "Thus 
far and no farther." 

But the mighty pendulum of time has not yet reached 
the limit of its ever-widening arc ; time is yet swinging 
around the mighty circle of the ages; history must go on 
repeating itself; the lost arts must be restored to the world; 
and the chancres to come will be more momentous than those 
of the past. Following in the track of the mighty march of 



16 LAST OF THE PIOXBHRS ■ 

time, nations and people yet unborn will view with silent 
wonder wrecks of today's greatness outgrown and suj^er- 
seded by achievements yet to be. 

TXSTAXCHS OF GREAT LOXGKMTV. 

The feature of this work which will n;:; doubt carry 
with it the greatest weight of interest is the fact of the great 
longevity of the principal narrator. And while such in- 
stances are rare and isolated, yet history abounds in many 
examples of pers(^ns who have attained to a remarkable old 
age. A table was prepared by Mr. Easton, of Salisburx . 
England, giving some of the most noted names on record, of 
Euro]ieans and Asiatics. 

.^ppulhjiiius of Tvana 

St. Patrick 41)1 

Attilia 

Leywarcli Hew 

St. Coem^ene 

Piastus, Kinj< of Poland 

Thomas Parr 1H85 

Henry Jenkins 

Countess of Desmond 

Thomas Damme 

Peter Torton 

Marj^aret Patters 

John Rovin and wife 

St. IMougah or Kentigern ... 

Facts prove that, in circumstances favorable to extreme 
longevity, the Europeans, the most polished comnumities, 
have no pre-eminence over the tribes of Africa, the least 



Date 


Aged 


\)\) 


130 


41)1 


122 


.-)()0 


121 


.')()0 


ir,o 


r.i8 


120 


SHI 


120 


1H35 


ir)2 


KiTO 


169 


i(;i2 


14.-. 


HU8 


154 


1724 


l.s.-, 


1739 


137 


1741 


172 \ 164 


17S1 


185 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS 17 

advanced in the social scale. Doctor Pritchard. from vari- 
ous sources, collected a variety of remarka1)lc instances of 
negro longevity, of which the two following are samples: 

December 5, 1830, died at St. Andrews, Jamaica, the 
property of Sir Edward Hyde East, Robert Lynch, a negro 
slave in comfortable circumstances, who perfectly recol- 
lected the great earthquake of 1692, and further recollected 
the person and equipages of the lieutenant-governor, Sir 
Henry Morgan, whose third and last governorshi]) com- 
menced in 1680, viz., one hundred and fifty years before. Al- 
lowing for this early recollection the age of ten years, this 
negro must have died at the age of one hundred and sixty 
vears."^ 

Died, February 17, 1823, in the bay of St. Jolms, An- 
tigua, a black woman named Statira. She was a slave, and 
was hired as a day laborer during the building of the jail, 
and was present at the laying of the corner-stone, which 
ceremony took place one hundred and sixteen years ago 
(1823). She also stated that she was a young woman 
grown when President Sharp assumed the administration 
of the island which was in 1706. AUowing her to be four- 
teen years old at that time, we must conclude her age to have 
been upwards of one hundred and thirty year>.* The same 
historical source from which the above instances were de- 
rived, furnish many more sinn'lar examples. Tliese facts 
and ilhistrations are sufficient to show that tliere is no physi- 
cal law forljidding the negro from attaining a longevity e(iual 
to that of the European in circumstances friendly to it ; while 



'Sear's Wonders of the World, ])p. ;-il-:i2. 



18 LAST OF THE PIOXBBRS 

placing' the European in subjection to the same amount of 
toil in the West Indies, or plantin*;- him amid the swamps, 
the luxuriant vegetation, the iiumdation. and heat of Western 
Africa, and his term of life would not. in general, come up 
to the negro standard. 

It was a well known fact among the early settlers that 
some of the Indians attained to a very old age, and were rep- 
resented bv members of their tribe to be much over one hun- 
dred years. 

Humboldt, speaking of the native Americans, says, "It 
is by no means uncommon to see at Mexico, in the temperate 
zone, half way up the Cordillera, natives, and especially 
women, reach a hundred years of age. This old age is gen- 
erally comfortable ; for the jMexican and Peruvian Indians 
preserve their strength to the last. While I was at Lima, the 
Indian. Hilario Sari, died at the village of Chiguata, four 
leagues distant from the town of Arequipa, at the age of one 
hundred and forty-three. She had been united in marriage 
for ninety years to an Indian by the name of Andrea Alea 
Zar. who attained to the age of one hundred and seventeen. 
This old Peruvian went, at the age of one hundred and thirt\- 
years, a distance of from three to four leagues dailv on foot." 

A RKMARKAP.LE XKGRESS. 

The Pciuisylvafiia Inquirer, of July 15, 1835, contained 
this notice: Curiosity — The citizens of Philadelphia and its 
vicinity have an opportunity of witnessing at the Masonic 
Plall. one of the greatest natural curiosities ever witnessed, 
viz. : Joiee flefh. a negress. aged, one hundred and sixtv-one 



LAS7' OF THE PIONEERS 19 

years, who formerly belonged to the father of George Wash- 
ington. She has been a member of the Baptist church for 
one hundred and sixteen years, and can rehearse many 
hymns, and sing them according to former custom. She was 
born near the old Potomac river, in Virginia, and has, for 
ninety or one hundred years, lived in Paris, Kentucky, with 
the Bowling family. 

All who have seen this extraordinary woman are satis- 
fied of the truth of the account of her age. The evidence of 
the Bowling family, which is respectable, is strong, but the 
original bill of sale of Augustine Washington, in his own 
hand-writing, and other evidences, which, the proprietor has 
in his possession, will satisfy even the most incredulous. 

A lady will attend at the hall during the afternoon and 
evening for the accommodation of those ladies who may 
call." 

A Mr. Lindsay was then exhibiting this aged negress at 
Philadelphia. Mr. Barnum, the great showman, was then 
on the lookout for some great curiosity, and went to Pliila- 
delphia to endeavor to purchase this novel exhil)iti()n. The 
first price put on the old woman was three thousand dollars, 
which Barnum declined to pay. He offered one thousand, 
whicli was finally accepted, and he exhibited her to immense 
throngs of people in all the large cities of the United States, 
until the following February, when old Joicc Heth died, lit- 
erally of old age. 

The best description of this old negress is given by .Mr. 
Barnum himself. "Joice Heth was certainly a remarkable 
curiosity, and she looked as if she might have been far older 
than her age as advertised. She was apparently in good 



20 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

health and spirits, but from age or disease, or both, she was 
unable to change her position ; she could move one arm at 
will, but her lower limbs could not be straightened ; her left 
arm lay across her breast, and she could not remove it ; the 
fingers of her left hand were drawn down so as to nearly 
close it, and were fixed ; the nails on that hand were nearly 
four inches long, and extended above her wrist ; the nails on 
her large toes had grown to the thickness of nearly a quarter 
of an inch ; her head was covered with a thick bush of grey 
hair; but she was toothless and totally blind, and her eyes 
had sunk so dee])ly in their sockets as to have disappeared 
altogether. 

Nevertheless, she was pert and sociable, and would talk 
as long as people would converse with her. She was quite 
garrulous al)out her protege "dear little George," at whose 
birth she declared she was present, having been at the time 
a slave of Elizabeth Atwood, a half sister of Augustine 
Washington, father of George Washington. As a nurse, she 
put the first clothes on the infant, and she claimed to have 
''raised him." She professed to be a member of the Baptist 
church, talking much in her way on religitnis subjects, and 
she sang a variety of ancient hymns. In proof of her extra- 
ordinary age and pretensions, Mr. Lindsay exhibited a bill of 
sale, dated Februarv 5, 1727, from Augustine Washinoton. 
county of Westmoreland, \^irginia, to Elizabeth Atwood. a 
half sister and neighbor of Augustine Washington, convey- 
ing 'one negro woman named Joice Heth, aged fifty-four 
years, for and in consideration of the sum of thirty-three 
pounds, lawful money of Virginia.' "* 



'Life of P. T. Banunn, pp. 57. 58. 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS 21 

SARAH JENIFER, OF WASHINGTON, D. C. 

x\propos to the foregoing, we clip from the National 
Tribune of October 1, 1885, the following notice of an aged 
negress of that city: 

"Remarkable instances of longevity are sometimes found 
among the colored people. Sarah Jenifer, who was known 
to be one hundred and twenty vears old, died in this citv last 
week. Her eyesight, and indeed most of her physical and 
mental faculities, showed slight impairment until within a 
year past. She reared nineteen children, many of whom 
were similarly prolific, and, as may be imagined, she left a 
family of grandchildren down to the fourth and fifth genera- 
tions, numbered by hundreds. Three of her surviving chil- 
dren are past ninety." 



CLARKSVILLE, HOME OF MY CHILDHOOD. 



I ,..„.„...„._ ,.. 

lenburg county, in Old Virginia, and this is why I always 
speak of Clarksville as my childhood home. This beautiful 
town, built on a lovely strip of level bottom land, was at first 
laid out on the south side of the river, just below where the 
Roanoke and Dan come together. The river still goes on to 
the ocean under the name of the Roanoke, but we all got 
used to calling the name of both rivers. There was, from 
my earliest recollection, a considerable settlement on the 
other side of the river, called Klipper's Landing, but after 
the steamboats began making regular trips to the town and 
above, quite a town sprung up across the river ; and so, we 
might say, that Clarksville is situated on both sides of the 
river. Old Master Jackson had a large plantation and a 
magnificent home just below town, but almost joining it. Old 
Master Johnathan Jackson did a great deal of business in 
town, while young master, Corbin Jackson, was a stock 
dealer, and often took me on his buying trips to assist him in 
bringing back the stock he would buy. It was on one of 
these long trips buying up droves of cattle and sheep, that he 
came down into Tennessee, as far down as Surgoinsville, 
Hawkins county, that he became so favorably impressed 
with East Tennessee, that he was determined to one day 



24 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

make his home somewhere along CHiich mountain, in the 
beautiful valley. Speaking of Clarksville, I do not believe 
the Creator ever made a place more fit for a life of pleasure 
and happiness than this town and country. The land was 
everywhere rich ; there was plenty of fine timl)er and good 
water ; the forest abounded in all kinds of game, from a 
ground squirrel to a bear ; and every stream was full of fish, 
that could be caught without difficulty. Almost every old 
settler lived on his own large plantation, in a fine mansion, 
owned a number of slaves, and had become rich during the 
few years since the settlement of the country. These settlers. 
most of whom were old men when I was a mere boy, had 
turned their attention towartl the raising of such products 
as Cf^mmanded a ready market, either at home or abroad. 
Boats were built at Clarksville and at many other points, 
which were loaded with all kinds of produce, and taken down 
through North Carolina to the ocean, where it was loaded 
on ships. Tobacco was one of the principal shi]>ping crops, 
and many large plantations were devoted almost entirely to 
raising it. Jiack farther in the hills and mountains, there 
were not as large plantations and as line mansions as were 
found in the valleys and along the rivers. There were not 
so many slaves. 1)ut what few there were seemed contented 
and happy. The people lived ecpially as well, and had plenty 
to sell. Every Saturday wagons would come in from the 
hills and mountains to Clarksville, ])ring in loads of fruit, 
fur skins, chickens. l)utter. eggs. ma])le sugar, feathers, pine 
tar, ginseng, and often deer and ]>ear meat. These articles 
they produced in great abundance, and usually bore a fair 
price. It was sold to the stores or to the shippers, or ex- 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 25 



Ran 



anged for salt, thread, indigo, nails, powder, lead, and such 
manufactured articles as the merchants kept for sale. There 
was not much money in circulation, neither did the people 
need or want it. I sometimes yet wonder how and why the 
world ever took such a notion for money. I can remember 
when bartering was all the go, and everybody did it. A 
bushel of corn or potatoes, or five pounds of meat for a day's 
work. So many pounds of feathers, tobacco, maple sugar, 
or butter for a yard of cloth, etc. Everybody understood 
what the custom of the country was, and very few buyers 
or sellers would undertake to make a bargain that was differ- 
ent from the regular custom. 1 have watched this old cus- 
tom gradually give way, and money to come into use, and my 
opinion is that the old style of trading was simpler, more 
easily understood, and was much fairer to the seller than to 
have a money value attached to every article. Very few 
persons ever raised just enough of everything they wanted 
for their own use. Of some things they raised more, and 
of other things they produced less than they needed; and 
so this was remedied by an exchange of articles, this deal 
being called bartering. 

I remember my first bartering. As I hav: told you, the 
streams abounded in fish, which were easily caught. The 
merchants kept salt-fish in the stores tu sell, Init some of their 
customers preferred fresh fish. So the merchants were glad 
to exchange the salt-fish for the fresh ones, and as this just 
suited me, I made many trades with them. The salt-fish 
would keep for any length of time, while the fresh ones had 
to be used at once. 

In addition to this being a land of plenty to eat, and of 



26 LAST OF THE PIOXEERS 

peace and prosperity, there was, also, plenty ol amusements 
of all kinds to keep up a fellow's spirits. Xo use of dying- 
of the "hlues" on a plantation of darkeys. These were gcn- 
erallv allowed liberty to go where they pleased on the ])lan- 
tation, and, just so a man did a i^ood dav's work, and the 
feeding- and wood-chopping besides, he was allowed to enjov 
himself in any reasonable way, so no harm or damage wa^ 
done. As for myself, I would have been content to spend all 
my days, as I once did, at my old childhood home. It was 
all the freedom my heart could ever wish, and if T had had 
my choice I would never have left there. But the saddest 
day in all my life came to me when I was told that my be- 
loved wife and children nuist be taken one way, and that 
1 nnist go another. A more cruel blow could not have l)een 
given to me. I could not have felt worse if I had been told 
that we were all to be killed. ' It seemed to almost break mv 
poor wife's heart ; and the sad thought has always been with 
me. whether the poor creature ever lived after our separation. 
Our four children were grown, and one of them married h' 
a man by the name of Jones, who were both sold and taken 
to Lexington, Kentucky. Of the other three I have never 
seen nor heard of since we were separated. During the 
many years since all of us that were living became free, 1 have 
contemplated making a search — like a mother partridge for 
her scattered brood — for them : but this life, though long, 
has been so full of all kinds of cares and duties that this su- 
preme desire of my heart must go unsatisfied. Mv day of 
life, I fully realize, is too far spent, and the shades of its 
evening are closing too close around me to permit the faintest 
prospect of my ever again seeing the home of mv childhood's 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 27 

ha])py days, which I learn is all changed, save in name and 
location : much less to ever ]:)ehold, on the shores of time, the 
faces of my loved ones, so cruelly taken from me. But the 
solace of my declining- days has l)cen, that as my feeble, tot- 
tering frame approaches nearer and nearer to the silence of 
the grave, my faith grows stronger, and the way becomes 
l)righter as visions of blissful immortality greet my discon- 
solate mind. I feel that T have now nothing to live for, and 
am simply waiting for my Master's call ; and when that sum- 
mons shall come, that same sustaining faith whispers to me, 
that perchance some of those loved ones have already gone 
on before me, and may be the first to greet me over there. 
That ever-abiding faith in my Creator's i)ower and wisdom 
also assures me that though my bones are not buried at my 
old Virginia home — as my most cherished wish has been — 
that when the great roll-call of heaven is made, that here in 
Sunny Tennessee, my grave will be found 1)y Mini, and I 
shall awake and come forth and enter upon that new life, 
which shall know neither decay nor death, and where severed 
ties and dismembered families will enter upon a perjietual 
union, "Where the wicked cease from troul)ling and the 
weary be at rest." 

THE FIRST STEAMBOAT OX THE ROAXOKE AND 

DAN. 

T remember as well as if it occurred but a month ago 
the occasion of the coming of the first steamboat u]> the 
Roanoke to Clarksville. We had all lieard (^f steaml)oats. 
but there was not a half rlozen peo])k' in all that country 



28 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

that had ever seen one, and but few, I think, had any correct 
idea of how one would look. I remember we darkies, after 
we heard that on a certain day a steamboat was coming to 
our town, would sit around and exchange ideas and notions 
as to how it would look. After seeing one we had many 
hearty laughs about how different it proved to be from what 
we imagined. For my part the strangest thing to me was 
how there could be enough iron about it and \ et it not sink. 
About as silly was our wonder, when railroads were first 
talked of, how they could carry anything else after carrying 
enough sand to keep the wheels from slipping ! One darkey 
being called upon for his opinion, said that the thing could 
not be: that no power in or on the boat could possibly move 
the boat : that it would be just like a man trying to lift him- 
self over the fence by pulling up on his boot straps. About 
the funniest idea T heard given was by a numb-skull who said 
that the boat would have to stop running when the steam 
was used to whistle! But we all had to give it up, in spite 
of our logic, when the boat steamed into Clarksville. 

The news had been circulated far and wide that a steam- 
boat would come up to Clarksville from Weldon on a certain 
daw This was the occasion of a general holiday among 
all classes. Horses and mules were taken from the plow 
and hitched to all sorts of conveyances, and men, women 
and children came from all parts of the country, and col- 
lected on each side of the river. Scats were put up on the 
banks for the women and children; some of the men sat on 
their horses in order to see over the heads of the crowd, and 
many of the men and boys climbed into trees in order to be 
the first to see. Just below town the river makes a bend, 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 29 

and every eye was turned in that direction. Soon a shout 
went up from those in the trees saying that they saw the 
smoke and that she was coming*. Then there was such a 
scramble as I have never seen since in order to get nearer 
the landing. Soon the black curling smoke could be seen by 
all, and in a moment more, the tall black smoke-stack loomed 
up just at the bend a short distance below us. Then the 
scramble for places was renewed, and shouts, and yells, and 
screams went up from the crowd lining each bank. As 
there was a large crowd on both sides of the river, there 
was nuich doubt and anxiety as to which the boat would 
land. The pilot, evidently considering ours as the largest 
crowd, began turning her prow toward our side, and just 
then the whistle began blowing, and the crowd on shore 
created such a scene as I have never l^efore or since witnessed 
in my life. The shouts were deafening; women screamed 
and fainted, and children were frantic with the excitement. 
Witli mighty puffs and heaves, with the foam leaping and 
the waves dashing against the shore, the boat ncared the 
bank. Two broad, thick planks were laid out upon which 
persons on the boat could come ashore. As soon as these 
had stepped on land, several of the crowd began crowding 
on the gang plank to go in and see the inside of the boat. 
About the time both planks were full the steam blew off with 
such force and noise that a regular panic ensued. In their 
fright several of those on the planks fell head long into the 
nuid and water; again the women and children screamed, 
this time in fright ; the small and weak in the crowd along 
the bank were run over, knocked down, and tramjiled upon 
in the wild, mad rush to get away from the escaping steam. 



80 L.lSr or THE PIOXEERS 

Mu>l ul the crowd thoup^lu that tlic thiiii;- had exploded, and 
it was some time l)efore the captain could restore order hy 
the assurance that there was no harm. He took ])ains to ex- 
plain all ahout how the safety-valve would let off the sur- 
plus steam, and i)revent the boiler from hurstin.^. 

lUit I have not told you the worst. The horses had 
their nerves strung^ up to a hi^h pitch already at the noise 
of the iK^at. and the tumult of the crowd. In their haste to 
i^et a position on the hank. nian\- had alii^hted from their 
vehicles, and had left the horses unhitched. These, when 
the steam blew oft', could stand it no longer, and broke awa\ 
without driver, and went dashing- and clatterinc;- pell-mell, 
helter-skelter in several directions, upsettin,^ waj^i^ons and 
l)uj^iries. tearinji^ down posts and fences, and pursued by 
dozens of yelpin*;- do^s, left the scene in the wildest confus- 
ion. Many peoj^le were run over and hurt, and several 
horses were crippled in the stampede. The crowd across the 
river, that had been disapj^ointed in the boat's nut landing 
on their side, n(jw took in the situation, and set up the most 
tumultuous laughing, shouting, and clapping of hands that 
1 e\er heard. They enjoyed our discomfiture immensely. 

After the i)anic was over, and order restored, speeches 
were made, wine and cider was passed around, and the cap- 
tain spoke glowingly of the great advantages and ])ossibili- 
ties of the steamboat, and what a great blessing it would 
l)nn'e to the world. If any one of that great crowd besides 
me is still living, he will join me in .saying that that was the 
greatest day Clarksville ever had. Soon, this boat made 
regular trii)s to our town, and before we left that beloved 
place X^^ come to Tennessee, other l)oats made regular trips 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS 31 

up the Roanoke and Dan. They usually came steaming up 
after dark, beautifully lighted up, and the bands playing. 
Oh ! we never grew tired of the glorious sight ; it seemed to 
rhrill us with new life. And though my ears are getting 
deaf, and my old eyes growing weak, I pine once again to 
liear the shrill steamboat whistle, and to see the beautiful 
lights and the streaming banners once more on the lovely 
liver of my boyhood days. Truly, there is no time like the 
old time, and it will never come to us again. 

[In spirit, if not in words. L'ncle Pharaoh constantly 
reechoes the sentiment of the poet, in the following lines:] 

"There are no days like the good old days. 

The days when we were youthful ; 
When humankind were pure of mind. 

And s])eech and deed were truthful ; 
Before a love for sordid gold 

Became man's ruling passion. 
And before each dame an.d maid became 

Slaves to the tyrant's fashion." 

THE TXDIAXS. 

General Jackson used to say that the only good Indian 
was a dead Indian. He said that little Indians made big 
Indians, and that big Indians were always bad Indians; and 
in his battles with these savages, he told his .st)ldiers to kill 
all of them, big and little. This made it pretty hard on the 
old scpiaws, i)ut I know, from a long accpiaintance with the 
Indians, that the women were generallv a- big liars atid 



32 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

rogues as the men. and when they would be torturing a white 
person, that the women would often think of more cruel 
things to do than the men. Sometimes when a crowd of 
Indians would come to a settler's cabin to beg, the women 
would slip around the house and steal everything loose, while 
the men would keep the attention of the white people. Vou 
could never tell much about what an Indian was going to 
do. He might have come to kill you, and he would come up 
smiling in such a way as to make you believe he was the most 
friendly Indian in the world. An Indian could deceive a 
fellow about as well as some white folks can. I always 
knew that we colored people came from Africa, and that 
always satisfied me, but I always had a great desire to know 
where the Indians came from. I tried hard to find out all 
T could from the oldest Indians, but they had a great, long 
'v about descending from some great, powerful tribe — 
'liing that had been told to them by the old men ( tra- 
lUU I never thought they knew anything certain 
Lhemselves. They could not tell me anything a])out 
*; i.o made the mounds of earth to be found ni many parts 
of Tennessee. We always called them Indian mounds, and 
supposed the Indians made them, but for what purpose, or 
when, tluy themselves seemed to know as little about it as 
we did. ( )ne thing only we do know — they were here when 
the white men first came, and that is all. Another thing, 
some of the Indians did not seem to know much about the 
flints or arrow-heads which can l)e picked up almost everv- 
where. Tlu \- could be picked up just the same when I was a 
boy in Old \ irginia, and I never saw but a few Indians that 
could make tl «^m. The ones I saw them make were rouirh 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 33 

and ugly. They did not use the how and arrow very much 
for they nearly all had guns, and had learned how to use 
them from the white people. But every Indian boy had to 
learn how to use the bow and arrow, and so well did they 
learn it that they seldom ever missed anything they ever 
shot at. Birds and animals which they shot were often not 
killed at once, but were so badly crippled by the rough flints 
on the arrows, that the Indians soon caught up \vith them 
and finished killing them. It was a funny sight to see them 
splashing in the creek after a wounded fish, bursting through 
the brush after a crippled turkey, or chasing through the 
woods after a wounded deer. But they were generally suc- 
cessful, and seldom failed to bring home the game. 

But while the women were as bad as the men in ;;ome 
respects, in others they w^ere very much better. They did 
not keep themselves much cleaner than the men, and neither 
gave themselves much concern on this score. But they were 
not half as lazy as were the men. In the chase or on the war- 
path the men were active and si)rightly enough, but when 
about the lodcfc or wisfwam. the lazv, good-for-nothing fel- 
lows would not do a lick of work in the way of i)reparing 
food or fuel, and all of the work now considered as l)el<)ng- 
ing to men. was performed 1)y the women. The animals 
brought in as game were skinned, cut up. and jirepared into 
food by the women, and often the greedy hunters would 
turn in for dinner before it was half done, and devour all of 
it, before the women could get a share. 'J'he seed-corn had 
to be kept hidden from the men for when tlijy would come 
in tired and hungry, they would eat uj) everything in sight. 
When the season came for planting, the women prepared 



:J4 LAST Of THE PIOXEERS 

the oT()iincl tor the seed, planted tlie .f^rain. and o^ave it such 
httle cultivation as it ever received. The corn was most al- 
ways planted in a rich, moist spot oi ground, and did not re- 
(|uire much work except to keep the weeds ])ulled out. The\ 
also planted heans. and raised ahundant crops of them. They 
boiled heans and green corn together and made succotash 
wliicli was very good. The Indians taught the white settlers 
how to raise corn. The Indians showed them how to deaden 
the timber by building fires at the roots of the trees, or by 
cutting a ring around the tree while the saj) is dowing. They 
also showed them lliai where the land was not rich, ^ if they 
would dig a hole and put into it a good sized fish, and then 
])lant the corn in the hole with the fish, tint they would 
always raise a big hill of corn, no diflference how poor the 
land was. Speaking of corn I am sure that the Indians 
could never have existed without it. The land was rich, and 
it did not re(|uire much labor; when ri])e it did not require 
to be gfathered before winter, as it would stand all through 
the w inter, and be sound in the si)ring. There was no other 
grain or vegetable that was so easily raised, that produced 
such great ([uantities. and took care of itself. The Indian 
might have subsisted on fruits, berries and game during the 
sinnmer, but they really could never have lived and kept 
their horses alive through the winter without corn. 

\\\\\ raising the corn was not the hardest work that the 
Indian w >man had to do. Whenever game became scarce in 
any locality, or the grass gave out. then the men would go 
to another i)lace and decided on a location. When the time 
came to ni< e the women had to carry all the luggage and 
the cooking 'itensils. The load (ine could carrv was sim])lv 



LAST or run riosruKS m.', 

astonishing-. The Indian men seemed to think il l)eneath the 
(liqnitv of a hunter or a warrior to en^^aj^e in any kind of 
manual la1)or. 

lint while the Indian was cruel, reventrcful. deceptive, 
and indolent, still he had some redeeming traits of char- 
[icter. You have heard it said that he never for^^ave an 
( nem\ nor forg-ot a friend. \\'ell, that was just a1>out the 
ease exactly. In all my dealings with these savaj2:e peoi)le, 
I have never o])served much exception to that rule. For if 
you ever did one a kind act, he would never forg^et you, 1)ut 
we have often wished that they would sometimes forget. 
Thev would he ver\- nuich like the old darkey was 1)\- his 
master. (Jne day the old darkey's master i^ave him a chew 
of tohacco. The next day the old darkey come hack and 
said. "Massa, don't one good turn deserve another?" Of 
course his master said "Yes." Then the old nej^ro .<^aid, 
'^'ou gave me a chew of tobacco yesterday, so that deserves 
another." So it was with the Indian, lie would never 
forget you, and would always he coming hack for something- 
else; and if he didn't get what he wanted, he would conclude 
that you was not a friend to him. even though _\ou had given 
him a dozen things. They would jusl hang around and beg 
and steal, or starve if you once began to give to them. So. 
many of the early settlers decided that it was 1)est to let them 
be enemies and watch them than to feed and clothe them. 
For whenever you got on friendly terms with a lot of Indians, 
ihey would always be prowling around, day and night, and. 
as J .said, if you denied them what they wantv-d. it would be 
sure to make them mad. Thev have been known to give 



3(; LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

11]) even hunting and fishing to hve off a few settlers that 
wanted to keep friendly with them. 

But if you had ever befriended one, especially if you 
had fed him well when he was very hungry, he would never 
forget your face, nor the favor, and if you ever got into 
trouble, he would do everything in his power for you, even 
at the risk of his life. 

I once knew a hunter in Old Virginia, who went out 
one day in search of game. The whole country was a 
wilderness, and no roads, except here and there an Indian 
trail. He went so far out into the forest that he finally be- 
came lost, and when, at last, he decided to return home, he 
knew not what direction to take. Tie would occasionally 
cross an Indian trail but was afraid to follow it, fearing that 
he might come up with Indians who would, as he thought,, 
most surely kill him. Or. one of the trails, if followed,, 
would certainly lead him to one of their villages, where he 
would be captured and perhaps tortured. So, this man 
wandered about through the woods all day, with no thought 
of game, Ijui (jnly of reaching his cabin. Night finally came 
on. and weary and discouraged, he climbed up into a tree, 
taking his gun up with him. He climbed the tree in order to 
be (nit of the reach of bears or wolves that would soon be 
l)r()wling around in search of food. He sat up in the tree 
and nodded, being so sleepy that he could scarcely hold on to 
the limbs. Hut about midnight his desire for sleep was 
taken away, when he heard, not far from the tree where he 
was. the .solitary howl of a wolf. This was almost imme- 
diately answered by that of another, on the top of a ridge not 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 87 

far away. Soon the howls were coming from all directions. 
As they came nearer their blood-curdlinp^ yells almost chilled 
the blood in his veins. The moon was shininij^ dimly, and In- 
straining his eyes, he could see coming toward him a long, 
slim, dog-like animal. It came on up and ])egan h(nvling, 
jumping, scratching, and gnawing at the tree. In a few 
minutes other wolves \Vere coming to the tree from all direc- 
tions. Soon there must have 1)een as manv as fifty of these 
liungry creatures, howling, and gnawing at the tree. He is 
sure that they would have gnawed down the tree before 
morning, but as soon as they would begin to gnaw at the tree, 
they would begin to fight, which would be kept up for several 
minutes. Then, as soon as the fighting was over, they would 
come back to the tree. He sat in the tree and watched these 
savage brutes until daylight, when, one by one, the}' would 
look up at him and show their ugly teeth, and slink away. 
When the sun was fairly up they were all gone. lUit still 
he stayed in the tree until he was sure they had gone away a 
long distance, when he slid down from the tree, and started 
on, he knew not where. All day long, he wandered, tired 
and hungry, crossing logs and creeks, and climbing hills in 
hope of getting a glim])se of the settlement where his cabin 
was. He traveled un until it was nearl\- dark again, and 
he was so tired that he could scarcely walk and carry his 
gun. He was just thinking of looking out for a suitable 
tree in which to spend another night with the wolves, when 
he came to an Indian trail. He slopped in the trail to look 
each way (as a white man always «lid when crossing an 
Indian trail) and his heart almost sank witluii him at what 
he saw. Coming toward him. not a hundre 1 yards away. 



8.S LAST OP THE PIOXEERS 

was a band of about twenty Indians. W'Ikmi tliey saw bini, 
tbev uttered a hideous yell, and made a rush for him. He 
stood perfeetly still, and when they came up, they seized him, 
and handled him very roughly, and taking away his gun, 
pointed with angry and threatening gestures for him to move 
ahead in front of them. The trail led over hills and ridges for 
several miles to their village. They had just returned from 
a hunt, and had killed a deer, which they threw down Xo the 
women when they reached the huts, and each of the men 
immediately threw himself u])on the ground and were soon 
aslee]). Almost as soon as they arrived witli the ]:)risoner, 
they placed a guard of young men about him. They ke]:)t a 
very close watch over him all the while. After a little while, 
the deer was ])reparL'd, after their usual fashion, for l)cing 
eaten, and the sleepers were aroused. They all went in a 
rush t'or tlu- dinner, and none of them, exce])t one, seemed 
to pa\ any attention to the ca])tive. One of them came to 
where he was guarded and motioned for him to come. Bv 
the time they had reached the fcKxl, the greedv hunters had 
taken all of it but one piece, which was large enough for two 
persons. This ])iece the Indian seized, and gave nearlv all 
of it to the white man. keeping only a small piece for him- 
self. This meat satisfied his hunger, and l;e was taken 
back, and the guard again placed round him as before. The 
Indians, now rested and refreshed, seemed to be consultinir 
as to what should be the fate of the ])risoner. All except 
the one who had given him the meat seemed lo be in a verv 
ugly humor, and he felt sure that it all meant no good for 
him. though he could not understand a word thev were sav- 
ing. Once in a while he could catch a word or two of broken 



LAST Of THIS riOXIilikS 39 

English from the fricndl}- Inchaii. wliich iLjavc him hope lliat 
ihis IncHan, havini;' hecn with the wlhte people loiiL^ enough 
to learn some of their words, would have some friendly feel- 
ing for him, and would in some way prevent: his being killed. 
Soon dark came on. and the hunters who had ca])tured 
him all went to sleep except one who would be left to guard 
liim. One would only guard for a short time when another 
would be awakened, and this one would fall asleep. By and 
by, about midnight, it came the turn of the friendly Indian 
to guard, which he did until all the rest v/ere sound asleep. 
Then the Indian arose very softly, and motioned for the 
white man to follow him. He did so, and after going a 
short distance from the cam]), they came to a stum]) behind 
w liich was sitting the gun which had been taken from him. 
and u])on the stump was a large piece of well-cooked meat. 
The Indian bade the white man take these, and then the 
Indiait led the wav by a dilTerent trail from that by which 
they had come. All the time after they left the stum]), there 
was not a word said by either of them until lhe\ must have 
traveled several miles. Finally, the Indian st()])])ed, and 
turning to the man said, "I have saved your life at the risk of 
losing my own. They had decided to ])ut you to death, and 
if it should be found out that I have aided you in getting 
away, I would have a close call for my own life. I will no 
doubt be ]:)Ut to death in your ])lace. lUit 1 came to your 
cabin a long time ago, hungry, tired, and i)ursued by my 
enemies who were seeking my life. It they had caught me. 
they would have killed me: but while 1 was in your cabin. 
and you were giving me food and shelter, they ])assed by, 
and von .saved mv life. Now I have saved yours. I\ee]> 



40 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

this trail for a short distance further, and it will take you to 
the white settlements." So saying, the Indian turned 
quickly, and in a minute was speeding his way back to the 
Indian camp. 

All the time the Indian was talking, the white man was 
trying to remember where he had seen the face that seemed 
to have something familiar about it. At last, he remem- 
bered that when the Cherokees and Chickasaws were mak- 
ing war on each other, that an Indian, that appeared to be in 
great distress and very much frightened, came to his cabin 
and begged for food and water. He would not stay outside 
to eat it, and while in the cabin a number of Indians passed 
by. He then recognized this friendly Indian as the one. 

INDIAN /TRADITIONS. UNCLE PHARAOH'S 
RECOLLECTIONS OF OLD TOl^A. 

Much of the Indian character, their modes of life, and 
warfare, their manners and customs, and, many of their tra- 
ditions, I learned from an old Chickasaw chief, named Toka, 
who resided at the Chickasaw Old Fields, near the Muscle 
Shoals, until his tribe was overpowered and driven out by the 
hostile Creeks and Cherokees. He then moved up nearer 
to the Cumberland settlements., and was one of the two 
Chickasaw guides employed by Col. James Robertson in his 
memorable Coldwater expedition against the Creeks occupy- 
ing the old Chickasaw hunting grounds. ]Much of the suc- 
cess of this expedition was due to the knowledge of the coun- 
try, and the fidelity of this old chief, it was he who in- 
formed Rol^ertson and others of the Cumln^rland settlers 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 41 

that the Spanish traders were offering^ a regular l)ount\ fur 
the scalps of the white settlers, and were furnishing the 
Indians with guns and ammunition in consideration of their 
services in committing depredations on the whites. He still 
had the gun and blanket, and often spoke of the horse pre- 
sented him as his share of the spoils, and in consideration of 
his services. Later, sad, dejected, and disspirited at the 
loss of their valued hunting grounds, and the dispersion of 
his tribe, he passed up the Tennessee river, his identity con- 
cealed, dwelling for a time, among the various tri1)es through 
which he passed, finally making his way to the extreme north- 
eastern part of the state, and becoming absorbed in name, 
with a tribe of Cherokees dwelling on tho border line, 
secretly bewailing the fate of the nation of whicli he was once 
so proud to be a descendant. T was with him much, as he 
often came to Clarksville. and as always a great favorite 
with the whites. But I never knew what finally became of 
him. 

He took great pleasure in relating the tradition as to the 

»rigin of the Chickasaws east of the Mississippi river. He 
said their ancient home was in Arkansas and to the west- 
ward ; and, that when they decided to migrate across the 
Great Father of Waters, they took with them a |)ole. which 
was to serve them as a guide as to the direction they should 
laking each morning. When night came on, tiiey encamped, 

ind when halted for the purpose, they would set the pole 
upright in the ground, and ne.xt morning they would see 
which way it leaned, and would judge that the Great Spirit 

lad caused it to point in the direction he designed them to 



42 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

take. They also took along a very large dog, that would 
serve them as a guard, by barking and warning them of the 
presence of their enemies. \\'ith their guard and guide, 
they journeyed on toward the great river ; but before reach- 
mg it. they passed by a great sink-hole, and here was the last 
thev ever saw of their doiz". At nisfht; thev fancied they 
/leard his piteous howls, and so long as the distance was not 
too great, when they took any scalps in thcii battles with 
their enemies, thev would send them back and throw them 
into the sink-hole to the dog. 

After crossing the Mississippi, they continued their 
journey until they reached the present site of Huntsville in 
Alabama. Here, they were in great doubt and imcertainty 
as to what direction to take, as the pole was in an unsettled 
condition for several days. This was considered as a bad 
omen, and many of the tribe passed on toward the east, into 
the Carolinas ; but the others waited for the pole to become 
settled, which it did after a time, and pointed in a north- 
west direction. Each night the pole was planted, and each 
morning it pointed in the same direction, until they had 
crossed the Tennessee river, just above the Muscle Shoals. 
The first morning after crossmg the river the pole stood per- 
fectly upright, leaning, in no direction. They waited for 
several days, but neither wind nor weather had the etfect 
to change its position, and, as the country was all that their 
hearts could wish, they decided that this was truly the 
"promised land," and here they made their home until the 
culmination of their sad and melancholy fate at the hands 
of superior tribes, and the intrigues of thoir pale-face brothei. 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 43 

EARLY METHODS, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS. 

People who have grown up within the last thirty years 
can have but a very faint idea of the methods employed by 
our forefathers in nearly everything pertaining to domestic 
economy. Our grandmothers planted the cotton, gathered 
the fiber from the bowls when ripened, picked out the seeds 
by hand, carded the cotton with hand-cards into rolls, spun 
these rolls on a home-made spinning wheel into thread, col- 
ored this thread with home-made dyes, and wove it into 
cloth on a home-made loom. This cloth, coarse and strong, 
was cut out and made into garments of the most simple pat- 
terns, and worn with the same pride and satisfaction that 
the people now wear the ready-made fabrics with costly trim- 
mings. No regard, whatever was paid to any dictates of 
fashion, and if some one wished to varv some old shape or 
form in a garment to suit themselves, they felt perfectly at 
liberty to do so, without any fear that they would become a 
laughing stock for being ''out of style." 

Woolen clothes, of course, were provided for winter 
wear, and the carding, spinning, and weaving were per- 
formed much in the same way as the cotton. Hemp shirts 
were frequently made for the slave boys and girls. These 
shirts could be cut, but not torn. i\Iany a time, in crossing a 
fence, I have caught my shirt on a knot or splinter, and in 
jumping to the ground, have thrown my whole weight on 
my shirt, and have found myself hanging up against the 
fence, and my feet off the ground. Often in climbing 
>aplings, I have hung myself on a knot by my tow shirt, but 
I never tore. The flax was prepared in a different wav from 



44 LAST 01' THE PIOXEERS 

tlic cotton and wool. The flax stalks were cut at a proper 
time and tied in bundles. These Inmdles were then placed in 
water so as to loosen the bark from the stalks. The bark 
was the part from which the thread was made. After the 
bark had become loosened, it was taken to a "break" which 
broke up the stems so that the l)ark, or tiber could be easil\ 
separated from the broken stems l)v drawin.^;^ it repeatedly 
through the "hackle" — a l)oard with a great number of sharp 
spikes driven through it. After other processes of prepara- 
tion, it was ready to be si)un into thread. But the spinning 
^f flax thread required a difl"erent kind of wheel from the 
cotton or wool, and was called a "flax wheel." On account 
of the time and labor involved in the making of flax thread, 
not a great deal of it was made; but long after they ceased 
weaving the tow cloth, much thread was made for sewing 
Jeather, and for other jnuposes. 

Much of the wool was used by being spun into yarn 
for knitting into stockings and gloves for the family. \\'hile 
the children would gather around the wide fire-place and 
pick cotton from the seeds ; the mother or eldest daughter 
would be spinning thread ; some one would be carding rolls; 
the father, apt as not, would be making a pair of shoes; a 
split basket, or "Ijottoming" a chair with splits. Sometimes 
the mother's "evening job" would be knitting, and when she 
would pay her neighbor a visit, she would invariably take 
lier knitting along, and, during her stay, would frequently 
knit "the old man," as the husband was called, a pair of 
socks. r>ut each member of the family, unless it was the 
baby, had some kind of work, and no one left the circle until 
one of the parents called out "bed-time." There were no 



/ 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 45 

lamps, and as a rule, the room was lii^hted 1)y hnj^c pine kiuits 
brought from a neighboring- ridge. Often, however, home- 
made candles were used. These were made l)y pouring 
melted beef tallow into moulds in which a wick had been sus- 
pended. When these were cooled, the moulds were slightly 
heated, which loosened the candles. Mutton tallow was 
never used for this purpose, it l)cing mixed with rosin and 
balm-of-gilead buds to form a very useful salve for cuts, 
sores, and burns. 

The skins of the animals killed for meats, such as the 
cow and sheep, were tanned at home. The hides were 
soaked in a strong solution of lime and water, and the hair 
was removed. The surplus flesh still adhering to the hide, 
was then all scraped off, and finally the hide was soaked in a 
strong tan-ooze' made from the bark of the chestnut oak, un- 
til experience taught the tanner that it was now fit for leather. 
Generallv, eacli neighborhood contained a ])rofessional 
cobbler who went from house to house, and cut out and 
lasted the shoes for winter wear, as few used them in the 
summer season. After the shoe had been "lasted," that is, 
the eye-seams sewed, and fitted and pegged to the last, it re- 
quu-ed very little skill to peg on the bottoms and heels, which 
the farmer usuallv did himself on wet davs. 'i'he last and 
IK'gs were home-made, and comfort and durabilitx. and not 
beauty, were the prime considerations. !n tliose days we 
never heard of corns on the toes — nature's penalty for pride. 
A pair of shoes were supposed to last a person for a whole 
year, and they were not jjut to any unnecessary use. It was 
a custom to go bare-footed — both men and women — to al- 
most the church, when thev would sit down an<l i)Ut them 



46 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

on. At a short distance from the church on returning home, 
they were taken ofif. 

There was a great demand for the labor of every person 
who possessed the shghtest mechanical genius. The man 
who could make split baskets, bottom chairs, make scrub 
brooms, and the various necessary household contrivances 
was considered a very useful person, and usually got plenty 
of work to do, and made a respectable living by doing such 
work. The baskets were carefully made of selected white 
oak splits, of different sizes and shapes, and for different 
purposes. The common farm basket was made strong, and 
in sizes to hold a peck, half-bushel, three pecks, and a bushel ; 
and each readily sold for its fill of corn or wheat, or an equiv- 
alent in some other kind of produce. Other kinds of baskets 
were made for the housewife for holding her clothes, and 
household articles. 

The chair seats were made of the best quality of hickory 
and white oak splits, and woven in fancy and difficult designs, 
and with ordinary use would last twenty years. 

The chair maker was a man of more mechanical skill 
than the last referred to. He turned his posts out of good 
hickory, only partially seasoned. The rounds were of sea- 
soned locust, turned with a shallow groove in the end that was 
driven into the post. The post then seasoning and shrink- 
ing down on these rounds, would render it impossible for 
them to ever become loose. Chairs made by "Uncle James 
\\'ebster" in Knox county, over a half a century ago, are as 
strong and intact now as when first made by him. 

The chair maker, having a turning lathe, and being 
usuallv a mechanic of sufficient skill, would irenerallv also 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 47 

n]ake the spinning wheels. These had to be made and bal- 
anced in the most accurate manner, or else they would be 
continually ''throwing the band," which was most provok- 
ing to the spinster. The reel was considered the work of a 
great genius, and it is to be regretted that the inventor's 
name is lost in the dim and distant past. It consists of a 
very clever arrangement of inter working cog wheels, so that 
in turning the large wheel upon which is wound the thread, 
a sharp ''click" indicates that a "cut" of thread has been 
wound. As services for spinning and weaving were charged 
for, as so much the "cut," it is diflficult to sec how the reel 
could have been dispensed with. 

•The main working parts of the loom could l)e made by 
almost any ordinary mechanic, but the ''slays" were exceed- 
incflv tedious and difficult to make; and this gave rise to a 
new industry, and furnished employment to a "slay maker." 
who enjoyed quite a monopoly of his line, as he had few 
competitors. Old ones were continually giving out, and as 
these had to be mended, or replaced by new ones, he found 
plenty of work to do, and his services were in constant de- 
mand. 

There was also the cooper whose trade was a very im- 
portant one in the early settlements. 1 le made the buckets. 
churns, lard stands, pails, barrels, and kegs. As these arti- 
cles were in constant use, he was kept quite busy until the 
families were all supplied. The smaller vessels were made 
mostly of red cedar, and would last a life-time. The bar- 
rels and lard stands were made of good white oak, and were 
likewise very dura1)le. Vessels made by these old-time 
coopers may be found at the present time, as sound and 



4S LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

• 

serviceable as they were half a centur} ago, but considered 
somewhat out of date. 

But perhaps the most useful of all the mechanics in tiie 
early settlements was the blacksmith. His work covered a 
wider ran^^e of useful articles than any of the other me- 
chanics. It is easy to see how in cases of emer«;ency, the 
articles made by the other artisans mentioned, could have 
been substituted for ; but it does not appear how a comnumitx 
could have existed without the services of a ])lacksmith. He 
made the plows, hoes, mattocks, wagons, and chains for the 
farmer ; the aui^ers, planes, nails, hammers, and chisels for 
the carpenter : the shovel, tongas, hooks, and andirons for the 
fireside ; all the nails, hooks, staples, rini^s. bands, rods, and 
ever\- kind of tool used bv evervbodv. His iron came to 
hiiu. not as it reaches the blacksmiths of toda\ , in convenient 
sizes and shapes, as rods and band iron. 1)ut in lart^e bar>. 
several inches broad, and several inches thick, wliicii had to 
be forijed out and hammered down to the required sizes.- 
These hu,^e bars of iron were heated in a fire made of char- 
coal, burnt of pine or chestnut wood, often in a i)it in the 
shop yard. While the blacksmith was burninj^- his coal-i)it. 
or usini^ the lit^ht, sparklin<^ fuel on his heav\ 1)ars of iron. 
the people of \'irg;inia and Pennsylvania were bursting; up. 
and building roads with the very things tiiat revolutionized 
blacksmithing — stone coal — and did not know its value. 
It is amusing to one who remembers the introduction of stone 
coal into the old-time blacksmith shoj). There was almost as 
nuich prejudice evidenced by the peoi)le generallv as bv the 
blacksmith. Some said that it would burn and scorch the 
iron so that it would be brittle. In manv agreements be- 



LAST OF THE PIONBBRS V.) 

tween the customer and smith for work, it was stipulated 
that the iron work was not to be done with stone coal. lUit, 
like all other improvements, it came into use gradually, and 
its superiority over charcoal for a high, quick heat, had to l)e 
established by experience. Another fact, equally patent, is, 
that no mechanic or artisan has been so completely put out 
of business, or his trade rendered almost next to useless by 
the invention of machinery as the blacksmith. Once, the 
most indispensable, now perhaps, his entire disappearance 
from the mechanical trades of the country, would produce the 
least inconvenience of any. Every article that the black- 
smitli was once looked to to make, is now produced by ma- 
chinery, and can be bought much cheaper than it could be 
made by him. 

OLD TniE WORKINGS. 

The most distino-uishino; feature or characteristic of earlv 
])ioneer da}s was the many social gatherings of neighlxjrs for 
nmtual assistance in the performance of labor too heavy for 
a single individual. The land was grown over with hea\y 
timber and it all had to be cleared and fenced. One man 
could not manage the heavy logs alone, and so the neighbors 
would be informed that on a certain da\' they were to meet 
at this man's **new ground." and participate in a log-rolling 
and rail-si)litting. Accordingly they all came with their axes 
and mauls. Some would l)e put to chopping down tlie trees, 
some to chopping off the cuts, some to splitting rails, and 
some to rolling together into large heaps such logs as would 
not split into rails. The boys would also come to pile, in 



oO LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

large heaps, the hrush and small liml)s. These same brush 
heaps would, during the winter, become the roosting places 
of thousands of small birds, the killing of wdiich, after dark, 
woukl afford a fine, but a very cruel sport for these same 
boys. 

FIRE HUNTING. 

But these heaps of ])ru.sh, especially if they were cut and 
piled while the buds and leaves were on, afforded a far more 
exciting sport for the men, after night, than for the boys. 
When the leaves or buds had wilted in the hot sun, they gave 
forth a very sweet scent which was very enticing to deer in 
the vicinity of the ''clearing," and they were attracted in 
great numbers by it. On dark nights, it was an easy matter, 
by means of a light or tire, to approach very near to these 
animals feeding on the wilted leaves, and shoot them. It was 
the custom to fire-hunt about these new grounds a great 
deal, and the hunters were usually quite successful, fre- 
quently killing several at one shot. One person would pro- 
cure a shovel or pan of fire, and proceed a few feet in ad- 
vance of the one with the gun, who would watch for the 
shining of the animal's eyes. For, when the men began to 
approach silently and cautiously, the deer would cease feed- 
ing, and gaze in astonishment, at the ajiproaching light: and 
as soon as the eyes were seen, the hunter would fire, and gen- 
erally, with effect. But, as the people began raising more 
cattle and sheep, it became too frequently the case that these 
domestic animals were more often killed than deer. Besides, 
careless or designing hunters were not so particular as to the 



LAST Of THE FIONBHRS 51 

kind of animal killed, so that it afforded meat ; and, conse- 
quently, fire-hunting was eventually prohibited by law. Thus 
passed another very excitinj^, old-time sport. 

HOUSE RAISINGS, ETC. 

These men were strong and hardy, and the amount of 
work that was done at one of these "workings" would aston- 
ish people of the present day. It was a favorite occasion for 
the showing off of strength and general physical manhood, 
and many and severe were the tests to which the aspirants 
for honor were subjected. While there was generally plenty 
of home-made liquor on hand, and of which, each one usually 
partook quite freely, it was not the modern kind that takes 
the reason from the mind, and puts the devil into the heart. 
The utmost good humor prevailed, and, the funnier they 
became, the friendlier they were. 

Or, it may have been a settler's cal)in to be built: for, 
when a new family came into the neighborhood, the neigh- 
bors would all join in. and build them a house. This usually 
required two "workings." The first day they would go to 
the woods and get the logs ready. Some would chop down 
the trees; some would measure and cut off the logs; some 
would "scutch" the logs ; and others would come along with 
a broadaxe, and hew two sides of the logs flat. The next day 
these logs would be hauled or dragged to the place where 
tlie cabin was to lie built, and the "house-raising," would take 

place. 

Four men would be selected to "carry uj) the corners," 
which consisted in notching and fitting the logs so that they 



52 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

would be close together, while the others would bring up the 
logs. This would continue until what we would consider a 
very low, one-story pen would be built. Then the end logs 
would be gradually shortened, and sloped, and the long poles 
to support the roof would be laid up instead of side logs. 
After these poles were all up. long, thin clap-boards would 
be put on, and heayy weight-poles would be used to hold 
them down, as there were no nails. In the meantime, some 
of the men had been s])litting out logs into pieces four or fiye 
inches thick, for the floor. These were called puncheons, and 
were fitted in for the Hoor, making it as tight as possible. 
This much uf the work usually constituted the day's work, 
leaying. for the man who was to occupy the house, the job 
lit building a stick-and-nmd chinmey, to chink and daub the 
cracks, and to lay the hearth of fiat stones. When the house 
was completed, the owner usually gaye an old-fashioned 
l)art\ in honor of the friends whose kindness had furnished 
him a home. 

The door of the primitive log cabin extended from the 
first log at the bottom to the top one, and was closed with a 
shutter made of puncheons similar to the floor, except the} 
were thinner. These pieces were fastened together by 
wooden pins, and the door was hung with wooden hinges. 
The fireplace occupied the greater amount of the space oi 
one end. When this was piled full of wood and set on fire, 
and a large pine knot thrown on. the room was sufficiently 
heated and lighted. These cabins were usually built near a 
good spring of water, and. in most cases, in the middle of 
the clearing, so that the a])proach of a bear, a wolf, (^r an 
Indian could be seen. 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS .',;; 

THE CORN HUSKING. 

In the late fall, when the corn was ripe, and feathered in. 
there would he at each settler's ca1)in, another j^atherinj:;' of 
neighhors, this time, to help husk out the corn. This social 
function was a regular, annual feature, and was looked for- 
ward to with much interest. Much fun was, in some way or 
other, injected into the occasion. It was a custom rarely 
omitted to have a jug of corn juice placed in the center of the 
corn heap, and the crowd was divided into two equal divis- 
ions, and placed on opposite sides, and the race was to see 
which side would he the first to reach the jug. ( )ther con- 
tests were to impose a fine of a gallon of "the article" on the 
one huskine the fewest numher of red ears. 



'?> 



THE QUILTING BEE. 

Frequently, also, at the same time, the farmer's wife 
would em])race this occasion to have the ladies, young and 
old, of the neighborhood come and assist her in ([uilting a 
quilt. \Mien the two afifairs came off on the same day, the 
night would 1)e most surely devoted to games, plays and 
dancing. In those days, everybody was invited, and every- 
body expected to come or render a good excuse at the first 
opportunity. If there happened to be some one in the neigh- 
borhood who was not deemed worthy to be invited, he con- 
strued it to mean that his permanent alisence from tliat com- 
nuinity would fill a long- felt want. It was also expected of 
a person having a "working," that he would, for the time at 
least, lay aside any little petty differences. <>r prejudice, that 



54 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

mi^s^ht exist between himself and a neighbor, and invite him 
along with the others. So, to a great extent, these gather- 
ings were directly instrumental in wiping out old grudges 
and renewals of friendship. But as the people became more 
prosperous, they became more independent, and began drift- 
ing apart. Prosperity seems to breed selfishness, and de- 
grades the social standard of the people. Later, I have seen 
the chasm between the people widened by differences in po- 
litical and religious opinions to such an extent as to almost 
wipe out all reverence for the good old customs of the good 
old times of long ago. Schools and churches may increase, 
education and religion may become more widely diffused, but 
the world will never again witness the generosity, the hos- 
pitality, the unadulterated community of common interest, 
and common welfare, as that exhibited in the relations of 
pioneers to each other. The log cabin and the pioneer can 
never again be factors of our civilization. It is doubtful if 
history could ever repeat itself to the extent of their repro- 
duction. There is no longer a westward march toward civili- 
zation, no longer a frontier. Alas ! for the good old days 
of our grandparents. In those days a life seemed to count 
for nnich. All the power and intiuence of an individual 
seemed directed toward a worthy end, and left an impression, 
recognized and felt by every one. Now a life seems to be 
swallowed up and forgotten in the rushing, mighty whirl of 
these days of steam and electricity. 

The plain, simple food, and the plain, simple dress, and 
the freedom from the worry and excitement induced by the 
fierce competition and rivalry, and the greed of fame and for- 
tune, resulted in good health and long life to the people : and 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS ^ry 

hence, with an undisturbed mind and body, and a full meas- 
ure of days, they were enabled to more fully fulfil the great 
object of their existence on earth. The excesses and indulg- 
ences of modern times were the rarest exceptions. Though 
lacking much that we are disposed to call advantages, still 
what they accomplished must be considered something won- 
derful. 

SCHOOL AND CHURCH— TEACHER AND 

PREACHER. 

But the two institutions in which, next to their homes, 
the people felt the keenest interest, were the church and 
school. These buildings were built in easy reach of the entire 
community. Everybody was eager to lend a hand in their 
construction. In size they, especially the church, was some- 
what larger, and in general appearance more regard was had 
to neatness than the simple dwellings. The jireacher and 
teacher, for the sake of economy, was generally combined 
in one individual, who, if he was not the head of a family 
in the community, usually boarded around among the patrons 
of his church and school. He was, by virtue of his high 
and varied calling, an individual of no common importance. 
He received due credit for all the displays of the good quali- 
ties of his mind and heart. No one grudged his share of the 
meager contribution to the support of this distinguished and 
indispensable personage. His services did not come high, 
and he was content with very plain keeping in the way of 
food and raiment so long as he was accorded a hearty fire- 
side welcome, and received the respect due one of his high 



56 LAST OF TUB PIOXEERS 

.station. Besides being the general adviser of the community 
in all things both spiritual and temporal, he was likewise the 
arbiter in matters of difference among the people, and from 
whose decision there was seldom an appeal. He taught 
school six days in the week, and preached on Sunday at the 
church. He also officiated as master of ceremonies at the 
weddings, and occupied a conspicuous seat at the table when 
the "infair" came off. He sang songs and offered prayers 
at the bedside of the sick and afflicted. And if, in response 
to his earnest petitions that the life of the sick one be spared, 
death finall\ closed the scene, he was given the credit of 
cheering the bed of death by glowing descriptions to the suf- 
ferer of a blissful immortality. At the grave, his voice in 
praise of the dead and in prayer for the living, as well as 
the old soul-stirring song, awakened the tenderest feelings, 
and disposed the minds of the listeners to the solemn rellec- 
tions of the brevity of life, and the myster\- and certainty of 
death. 

THE SCHOOL. 

His school duties consisted not onlv in hearins: the chil- 
dred read and si)ell, and in directing them in a few simple 
operations of "ciphering," but in making ink, shaping goose- 
quills into pens, and ruling paper for cojn- books. His school 
sessions lasted nearly all day, and tardiness was treated as 
a crime. Order was maintained by mere physical force, and 
the rod was brought down with certainty and force on every 
offender, male or female, large or small, for the verv slightest 
offence. If the child was spoiled, it was not from sparing 
the rod. 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 57 

THE PREACHER. 

His preaching, thoui^li delivered with simphcity, was yet 
vigorous and vehement. His sermons were not characterized 
by the breadth, scope, and variety as are those of modern 
days, but were selected from a com})aratively limited rani^e 
of subjects. 

^ These were the Fall of Adam, the Flood, the Judgment, 
iTie Crucifixion and such others as would necessarily produce 
a considerable wave of feeling in the audience, to be strength- 
ened and reinforced by the impassioned delivery of the 
preacher. Xo one was disappointed if he heard the same ser- 
mon, with slight variations three or four times in the course 
of a year's preaching. The efforts of the preacher seemed 
always actuated by practical considerations. Two things of 
the most overshadowing importance to his hearers were con- 
stantly impressed with the greatest vehemence and earnest- 
ness. One was the necessity of spiritual preparation in order 
to escape everlasting punishment, and the other was in order 
to reach heaven. In order to force the considerations liome 
to the heart and conscience, he spared no words of liorrible 
meaning in order to portray the untold agonies of hell, nor 
those of opposite import, to depict the priceless blessedness 
of heaven, with no thought that he was appealing to, stirring 
up, and encouraging only the most selfish motives. But after 
all, perhaps his preaching was most effective by virtue of this 
fact. 

HARVESTrXG AND THRESHING. 

The amount of wheat and oats raised in the early ilays 



58 LAST OP THE PIONEERS 

of our country was very small compared with the present. 
But if the people were under the necessity of using the same 
methods of cutting their wheat, and cleaning out the grain, 
as were used fifty years ago, very little would be raised now. 
In those days, the grain was cut with a reap-hook. This was 
done by the person taking hold of as much of the straws as 
he could hold in his left hand, then using the reap-hook with 
his right hand, with a quick stroke, cut off the straws, and 
place them in bunches to be tied in bundles. The bundles 
were placed in shocks until thoroughly dry, then they were 
taken to the threshing-floor of the barn, and the heads all 
placed toward the center, and the butts outward. The grain 
was then beaten out with a hickory flail. Some used horses to 
tramp out the grain. The grain and chaff' was then gathered 
up and poured into a fan mill and cleaned. This was a slow, 
laborious process, and it required so much time and labor that 
very little wheat was grown. Oats were fed in the sheaf, 
and only enough were threshed for seed. In time, the cradle 
was invented, and with this a good hand would cut from two 
to four acres a day. About the time the cradle came into 
use, some yankees invented a threshing machine. The first 
machine did not separate the grain from the chaff, and the 
fan mill was used the same as before, in a year or two, a 
machine was brought out that threshed and separated the 
grain. This machine marks the era of the wheat field. 
Wheat was no longer raised in patches. Init fields were sown 
with it, as well as with oats. The reap-hook and the wooden 
flail were laid aside, and the darkeys had an easier time. 

The meadows then consisted of a narrow level strip of 
land along the branch or creek. The grass was cut with an 



LASl^ OF THE PIONEERS 59 

old Dutch scythe, that was sharpened on an iron stake driven 
into a stump or block, and beaten out with a hammer. This 
required to be done very frequently, and but little could be 
cut in a day. But as better blades were made with which to 
cut the grass, larger spaces were put in meadow, and more 
hay was raised. Later on, came the mowing machine, which 
did more to revolutionize farming than any one invention. 
The farmer then realized that any good land, no difference 
whether it was bottom land or not, would produce hay. Then 
he began to rest his land from corn by growing grass on it. 
Hay proved to be a great fattening food for stock, and was 
so much cheaper than corn that its use was very nuich in- 
creased. This resulted in the farmer keeping his cattle on 
the farm and fattening them on grass, and was the means 
of making far better times for him. The land was fresh and 
fertile, and produced abundant crops of corn, but it was not 
profitable to raise more than was needed for home use, as 
there was not much market for it. True enough, va^ quanti- 
ties of it was distilled into whiskey, but this article sold for 
fifty cents a gallon, and many farmers furnislied the corn to 
the distiller and took a share of the product. The woods af- 
forded acorns and chestnuts sufficient to fatten the hogs, and 
very little corn was fed to them. The great trouble was that 
there was so much woods that the hogs became wild, and late 
in the fall, the trouble of capturing and killing them was a 
tremendous job. Sometimes a farmer would bait his hogs 
at some point in the woods, and by feeding them with corn, 
get them sufficiently tame to entice them into a field with a 
strong, high fence, by scattering corn along, leading through 
a gap, and when all or several were inside, close up the gap, 



i;0 LAS7' Of THE PIOXBBRS 

and begin the fun. This was a thrilhng, 1)iit a very danger- 
ous sport. The animals were very wild and vicious. \\ hen 
wounded or hemmed, they would charge upon their pursuers 
with a headlong dash, and nothing but a stroke sufficient to 
kill, would check them. It was folly to bring a dog among 
them : for as soon as he seized one of them, tiie whole herd 
would attack him and rip him literally into strings with their 
long tusks. They would sometimes attack a horse upon 
which the farmer was riding, and would sometimes be badly 
wounded despite his kicking. They were generally all shot 
that were sufficiently fat to be killed : then the smaller ones 
and the thin ones were turned back into the woods for another 
year. 

It was often the case that these animals were so wild that 
they could no more be led into an enclosure than a drove of 
foxes. Then the sport took on a different form. They were 
hunted with dog and gun just as the bear was hunted, only it 
was more exciting and dangerous. The hunter would take 
his gun, mount his horse, call his dog, or dogs, and ride into 
the woods, lie would soon either tind a herd of hogs, or 
their sign. The dog was sent in i)ursuit, and would gen- 
erally bay them in a short time. .\ bark or two was usually 
all the farmer heard ; for at once, on sight of the dogs, the 
hogs would set up such a hideous, deafening grunting that 
they could be heard for two miles or more. The dog knew 
better than to catch one, for he would have been torn to pieces 
in a moment, but would run around the herd, keeping them 
in a dense mass, with their attention engaged until the hunter 
could ride near, dismount, and sli]) u]) in shooting distance, 
and perhaps shoot two or three l)efore they would take alarm 



LAST OP TUB PIONEERS Gl 

at the falling of their friends and break away. This was all 
that was attempted that day, or perhaps for a week until they 
would partially recover from their fright, and return to 
wnthin a reasonable distance of the farmer's home. After 
shooting one or more of them, he would return, get assist- 
ance and bring his wagon, and haul in, and dress them. This 
would be repeated about every week until a sufficient suj)])]) 
of meat was secured. The hunter was careful to hitch his 
horse so as to reach him should the hogs perceive him. and 
make a dash for him, which they have been often known U) 
do. Then the only means of escape was to reach the horse, 
or succeed in climbinsf a tree bevond their reach. Thev 
w^ould often besiege the hunter up the tree for hours, grunt- 
ing viciously. 

Frequentlv farmers owning a drove of wild hogs wtnild 
give permission, or engage the services of hunters by giving 
them half of all they w^ould kill. These were a different 
species of hog from the kind now in the country. They were 
much taller and longer, and had long, slim noses and enorm- 
ous tusks in the jaws. It was with great difficulty that a dog 
could catch one in a fair race. Tiiey were the terror of the 
woods, and would face any kind of enemy, and bears and 
wolves were careful not to attack the jiigs while the old ones 
were near. The meat was much inferior to that of our pres- 
ent hog. It was tough and soon liecame strong and odorous. 
It lacked the tenderness and the juicy Havor of the meat of 
the present day. 

: 



The first saw mills, and indeed the onlv ones tiiai were 



62 LAST 01' THE PIOXEERS 

in the country until witliin the last thirty years were the old 
sash saws. It required a whole day to saw a large log into 
inch lumber. The machinery was very simple and cumber- 
some, but the arrangement for feeding and backing the log, 
was very ingenious for that day and time. In one of the 
early settlements there was a saw mill in a wild section of the 
country, on a creek, a mile or so from any dwellings. A 
man and his son were running the saw mill. As the saw cut 
so slowly, and as they w^ere anxious to get all the lumber cut 
possible, they concluded when the noon hour arrived, to just 
sit on the log and eat their dinner, and let the sawing con- 
tinue. While eating their dinner they spied a bear that had 
been attracted by the scent of the food, coming toward them. 
They left the food on the log and sprang up into the saw-mill 
loft for safety. The bear, seeing the sudden disappearance 
of the men. and doubtless very hungry, came boldly into the 
mill, climbed up on the log, sat upright on his haunches, with 
his back to the saw, and began helping himself to the food. 
He was in the full enjoyment of meal, which he was devour- 
ing with a hearty relish, when the saw, which had been 
gradually creeping up to him, gave his back a cruel rake. 
The bear supjwsing no doubt that it was some one disputing 
his right to the dinner, in a fit of rage, whirled around just 
as the saw was coming down again, seized it in his teeth, and 
got liis mouth very badly cut with the saw. Then realizing 
that a desperate battle was to be fought, the bear arose to his 
favorite fighting position, threw his arms around the saw, 
and with the next downward stroke was saw^ed nearly in two, 
and rolled ofif the log on the floor dead. The men had been 
watching the performance from the loft above, and now came 



LASl^ OP THE PIONEERS (i8 

down, skinned the bear, and carried his carcass home to he 
eaten by them, being well pleased with the exchange of their 
dinner for enough bear meat to last them for a week. 

It was, as soon as practicable, the custom to have a saw 
mill in every community, and though the amount of lumber 
sawed was small, still it had a wonderful effect on building. 
The floors were made of planks ; the doors were made of it ; 
tables ; shelves, and boxes were made of it ; and the con- 
veniences of the home were much increased by the use of 
lumber. Houses could be more easily and quickly built, and 
were much more tasty and comfortable. It is said that Gov. 
Blount imported weatherboarding from North Carolina, his 
former home, with which to encase the huge log mansion 
built for him in Knoxville. 

The little "corn-crackers" were usually built at the same 
time and operated by the same power as the saw-mill. The 
mill-stones were of a very rough, inferior character, and the 
grinding was necessarily slow. The grist was almost in- 
variably left at the mill for several days, the miller usually 
l)eing able to guess with tolerable accuracy when it could be 
called for. It is related that a rather witty boy on calling for 
his meal, was informed that it was just put up for gri^uling. 
and that he could wait until it was ground, and take it back 
with him. He concluded to do so. He stood by an<l 
watched the tiny, little stream of meal come out. and, at last, 
said to the miller. "1 could eat this meal as fast as this mill 
can grind it. 'liuw long could you cat it ]'" asked the miller. 
''Until I starved to death," answered the boy. P>eforc these 
corn mills were built the people were subjected to the greatest 
inconvenience in order to procure bread. Many, indeed, 



(U LAST OP THE PJOXEERS 

did much of the time without it. Instead, corn was parched 
and eaten so, or the corn was pounded into meal, and baked 
into bread. Adam Meek, who settled about the year 1785. 
in the valley near Strawberry Plains, obtained his meal for a 
lon^ time near Greeneville. But the early county records 
show that among the first acts of the county courts were pre- 
mits to dam the creeks and erect mills. Knox county court 
was organized on June 1(3, 1792, and the records show that 
on the same day, Wm. Henry obtained leave to build a mill on 
Roseberry creek. Grainger county court was organized 
June 13,170(), and at this term of court, permits were issued 
to Nichols T. Perkins to erect a mill on Chamberlain, now 
Stiffey creek; to \\\\\. Thomi)son, on Butlalo creek: and to 
Wm. Stone, near the mouth of Richland creek. In the year 
178(), a man l)y the name of Hazlitt built a mill on Beaver 
creek, near Mr. Meek. After six or seven years this was re- 
placed by a better one built by James Walker. Adam Peck- 
was the first settler on Mossy creek, and built a mill just be- 
low the present town in 17SS. Some of these old time mills 
have been entirely destroyed, others have been relmilt and 
equipped with modern milling machinery. 

]jefore the settlers could obtain meal ])arched corn was a 
staple article of diet. On many of the long exjxnlitions 
against the Indians the soldiers carred with them bags of 
parched corn, and slices of dried bear's or deer's flesh. 

SALT. 

Salt was for a long time a great luxury with the old set- 
tlers, and. as vou mav imagine, was difficult to obtain. Peo- 



LAST or THE PIONEERS 65 

pie, on their hunting; expeditions discovered trails leadinj^ 
or converging to a point, like the spokes of a wheel, and by 
following these trails, discovered that they lead to "salt 
licks." These salt licks were places where salt-water oozed 
from the ground, and to which the deer and buffalo would 
come to lick the salt. Hence, they were called "salt licks." 
The people boiled and evaporated this water, and thus ob- 
tained their first supplies of salt. The licks were the best 
places for the hunter to kill these animals. At the same 
time, other beings would know by instinct or experience, the 
same thing as the white hunter. The Indian had known, 
long before the white man, this favorite spot, and he. too, 
most likely, would be watching beside this same lick, and the 
white man would have to exercise the greatest caution, or he 
would receive a bullet that was at first intended by the Indian 
for a deer, \\nicn the Indians learned that the white men 
were hunting at the lick, they kept almost a continual watch 
on the trails that led to them, so that it became too dangcrou.s 
for the settlers to hunt at them. The ])anther also knew that 
the deer would come to lick the salt-water and it was not an 
infrequent sight to see two or three of these ferocious brutes 
lying stretched on the limbs of as many trees, ready to spring 
on the unsuspecting animal that chanced to pass within reach. 
He, too, was a foe to be dreaded by the hunter: for such a 
mark for a rifie as he would make stretched out his full length 
on a horizontal limb, wcnild constitute a temptation too strong 
to be resisted by the hunter. Stange as it may seem, more 
shots by an experienced hunter would result in wcninding 
than in killing the animal ; and then, unless badly cripi)led, 
he would make a ferocious assault on the hunter, who con- 



68 LAST OP THE PIOXEERS 

sidered liimself fortunate to escape with his life. If he did 
not have time to reload his gun, and the beast came on him. 
he would light, using his gun barrel and large hunting knife. 

THE WILD TURKEYS. 

Another sport greatly relished by the early hunter was 
the hunting of wild turkeys. These large birds were eagerly 
sought for by the hunter as their flesh was exceptionally fine, 
and their feathers would make good pillows. One way of 
hunting them was to go out into the woods before daylight 
and listen for the gobble of the male or the loud twit of the 
hen. They came down from the roost about daybreak, and 
for several minutes would keep up almost a continual 
gobbling and twitting so that the hunter could approach the 
flock, and be ready to shoot one by the time it was light. 
They were quite easy to take alarm, and it was a difticult 
thing to approach them when they were scattered. The 
hunter would have but little hope of doing this, and would 
generally risk his chances by concealing himself and waiting 
until they fed within reach. As a rule, they would feed in 
one general direction and travel in this course for hours. 
So that a hunter would often climb high into a tree in order 
to watch them to find out which way they were traveling : and 
if going in an opposite direction, he would climb down from 
the tree, make a long circuit around them, and conceal him- 
self in front of them. 

Some hunters took a bone from the turkey's leg and 
made a kind of whistle with which they could imitate the 
gobble of a turkey, and could generally succeed in calling 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 07 

them up within shooting distance. The white man learned 
this from the Indian, and it was said that some of the IncHans 
could use this deception so well that they could even 1)eat the 
turkey at his own gobble. This device was a great advant- 
age to the early hunter, and often enabled him to carry home 
a big fat turkey that he could have obtained in no other way. 
The Indian was not slow to learn the white man's fondness 
for turkey, and by means of his whistle, has enticed many a 
settler from his cabin, and lured him to his death. Often 
has a hunter taken down his gun on hearing the gobble of a 
turkey, as he supposed, and left his family in anticipation of 
a feast, never to again see his cabin. 

In one of the western settlements was a man by the 
name of Castleman, who lived for a time with another settler 
whose name I can not recall. Castleman was an expert in 
the use of the turkey whistle and could imitate the birds al- 
most perfectly, and at the same time could distinguish be- 
tween the genuine sound and the imitation. He frequently 
remonstrated with the other settler who was disposed to 
hunt for every noise resembling that of a turkey. One day 
Castleman went out hunting alone and rather early. He 
had not been gone long before the other man heard, near his 
cabin, what he was sure was the gobble of a turke> . 1 le took 
down his gun and went in the direction of the sound. Not 
long afterward, the sound of a gun was heard and the family 
expected him to return in due time with the turkey. Time 
passed, but he did not return, and they supposed that he had 
concluded to go on a farther hunt. About noon, Castleman 
returned, and. on inquiry, was told about the man going to 
t^nd the turkev he had heard, of the firing of the gun, and 



H8 LAST OP THE PIOXEERS 

was also informed of the strangest part of the affair, that the 
noise continued to be heard at the same place. Castleman 
stepped into the yard to listen, and sure enough, heard the 
sound, and rightly suspected tlic fate of his friend. He 
picked up his rifle, telling the family that he would kill that 
"turkey." Instead, however, of going in tlie direction 
whence the noise proceeded, he took a round-a-bout way, 
and came up 1)ehind the ol)ject of his hunt. The noise con- 
tinued and he had no difficulty in locating it. He crept up 
softly, and saw by a stump, not a turkey, but an Indian, with 
his gun across the stum]), watching in the direction of the 
cal)in. A well directed shot from Castleman's riHe killed 
the savage, whose long hunting-knife was still covered with 
the blood of a recent scalp. Proceeding about fifty yards in 
the direction of the ca])in, Castleman came across the dead 
body of his friend, pierced by the Indian's bullet. The 
Indian knew that there were two men belonging at the cabin, 
and was endeavoring to entice the other one out to be shot 
and scalped. 

THE TL'RKEY PEN. 

I'esides liunting the wild turkey in tlie wavs ab(~)vc men- 
tioned, the old hunter fre(iuently Iniilt what he termed a 
turkey-pen. First he dug a trench about two feet wide and 
about a foot and a half deep, gradually ascending until at the 
end of ten feet, it sloped up to the surface. Tlie fresh dirt 
was removed or carefully covered over with dry leaves. A 
pen of fence rails, two or three feet high, was built over the 
last four or live feet of the ditch, and covered securely. 



LAST Of run pioneers m 

Grain of some kind was then scattered in the (htch leachnj^ 
into the pen. The fowls would follow the grain into the pen, 
and they were safely imprisoned, for it never occurred to 
them to look downward, or to go out hy way of the ditch. 
Often the entire flock was thus captured at one time. 

EARLY ROADS. 

The first roads in the newly settled country were narrow 
worn lanes, scarce two feet wide, lightly trodden over pine 
needles and fallen leaves among the tree trunks hy the soft 
moccasined feet of the tawny savages as they silently walked 
in Indian file through the forests. These paths were soon 
deepened and worn hare by the heavy hobnailed shoes of the 
early settlers. Others were formed by the slow tread of 
domestic cattle, the ]K\st of all path-makers, as they wound 
around the hillsides to pasture or to drinking ])lace. Then a 
scarcely broader 1)ridle-path for horses, perhaps with ])lazed 
trees as guide posts, widened slowly to traveled roads and 
uneven cart ways. These roads followed and still wind to- 
day in the very lines of the footpath and the cattle track. 
Wet and marshy places were laid with poles cut in ten foot 
lengths and laid closely across the road. Some of these laid 
with pine poles served their purpose after a use of fifty years. 
They were called corduroy roads, and was the first efi'ort at 
road improvement. The first turni)ike in America was made 
when I was a small boy (l?8r)-8()) in \irginia, starting at 
Alexandria and extending down the Shenandoah \alley. 
It was at a tavern on this turni)ike-. while on a cattle drive to 
Petersburg, with my master, tlint 1 saw George Washington. 



70 LAST Of THE PIOXEBRS 

I was a small boy, and did not then know how great a man 
he really was, but I well remember how he looked. 

THE OLD-TIME WAGON. 

I saw the first wagon ever used in the part of Virginia 
where I lived. It was the same kind as was first used ev^ery- 
whcre in the new settlements where wagons were used at all. 
It was called the Conestoga wagon, that 1)eing the name of the 
place in Pennsylvania where they were first made. They 
were of the same general plan upon which wagons of the 
present day are made — the difi-'erence consisting only in such 
improvements as have been made to render it less clumsy 
and more durable. Suitable iron was so scarce that not 
much of it was used on these old-time wagons. The axles 
were made of a tough, young pine sapling, which being daily 
greased with pine tar, became so tough and hard as not to 
need skeins, and would last for years without them. Very 
few of them had iron tires ; and the first man to bring into 
the country about Blain's Cross Roads, in 1840, a wagon 
with tires made of iron, was, I believe, old Buckeye Craw- 
ford, who came from North Carolina, about that year, and 
settled by House Mountain. The hind wheels were much 
higher than they are now made ; and, for a reason I never 
knew. The beds were very long, and were curved, being 
higher at each end than the middle. It took a blacksmith six 
weeks to make and iron one of these beds. They had no 
locks to these wagons, the convenient brake being an inven- 
tion of the last forty years. A lock chain with a little fasten- 
ing device was used, and a wheel was not merely checked in 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 71 

its speed, but locked fast. Consequently the tires would 
soon be ground into many thin places. 

THE OLD-TIME STAGE COACH. 

A Toast to the Old Stage Coach. 

"Long- ago, at the end of the route, 
The stage pulled up, and the folks stepped out. 
They have all passed under the tavern door — 
The youth and his bride, and the gray three-score. 
Their eyes were weary with dust and gleam. 
The day had gone like an empty dream. 
Soft may they slumber, and trouble no more 
For their eager journey, its jolt and roar, 
In the old coach over the mountain." 

The writer finds that Uncle Pharaoh's description of the 
old-time stage coach in use when he was a boy, in the latter 
part of the eighteenth century, is almost identical with that 
given by Thomas Twining, an English writer, who traveled 
in New England in one of these vehicles in 1T95. So, the 
latter's description is given. 

"The vehicle was a long car with four benches. Three 
of these in the interior held nine passengers. A tenth pas- 
senger was seated by the driver on the front bench. A light 
roof was supported by eight slender pillars, four on each 
side. Three large leather curtains suspended to the roof, 
one at each side, and the third behind, were rolled up or 
lowered at the j^leasure of the passengers. There was no 



72 LAST Of run PIONEERS 

place nor space for bag.f^^age. each person being expected to 
stow his things as he could, under his seat or legs. The en- 
trance was in front, over the driver's bench. Of course the 
three passengers on the back seat were obliged to crawl 
across all the other benches in order to get to their places. 
There were no backs to the benches to support and relieve 
us during a rough and fatiguing journey over a newly and 
ill-made road." 

The vehicle was called a stage coach because the dis- 
tance between the stations on the route were called stages ; 
and usually a fresh relay of horses was in readiness at each 
station. The distance between Xew York and Philadel- 
phia is two hundred and ninety-seven miles, and in 1812, it 
took six days to make the journey by stage coach. The fare 
for each passenger was twenty dollars, besides way-expenses 
of seven dollars more. The expense by wagon was five 
dollars a hundred weight for persons and property, and the 
way-expenses were twelve dollars, for it took twenty days. 
Each station was an inn, or ordinary, and afforded accom- 
modations for the passengers, at a moderate expense. Xot 
only did these afford food and lodging for the traveler, but 
he could also procure, if he chose to do so — and he usually 
did — almost any kind of drink which suited his taste. These 
various drinks were made of home i^rf)ducts, and mixed un- 
der various names. 

THK OLD-TIME TAVERX. OR ( )RI)FXARY. 

As has l)een stated, these taverns were located on the 
stage routes, and were usually a day's journey a])art, so that 



LAS7' OF THE PIONEERS 73 

rest could be afforded for the horses, and food and shelter 
for the traveler. Encouragement and protection were af- 
forded these houses of entertainment by the county courts ; 
and no one was permitted to open and run an establishment 
of the kind without a license. The prices to be charged for 
meals and drinks was fixed by law ; and, in some places, the 
number of drinks to each person, were limited, in order to 
control drunkenness. 

Very stringent restrictions were placed on landlords in 
regard to the keeping of strangers. The names of these 
were given to the town authorities, who could, if they saw 
fit. warn such persons to leave at once, as might appear to 
be of a suspicious character, or whose presence at the place 
might be considered as dangerous or undesirable. In case 
action was taken, a record was made of it. Our ancestors 
were kind and hospitable to the worthy, but sternly intoler- 
ant of wrong-doers, or even of those suspected of evil inten- 
tions. Landlords were closely watched, and held strictly ac- 
countable, under heavy penalties, for the conduct of travelers 
or other persons frequenting their place. No loud singing, 
dancing, or other boisterous noises were allowed. Drunken- 
ness was strictly forbidden, and landlords were subject to 
have their license revoked, and heavy fines imposed, who 
allowed such conduct. A favorite location for the tavern 
was at a ferry ; and the landlord who was so fortunate as 
to control the patronage of a tavern and a ferry, held a posi- 
tion truly envied by his less fortunate neighbors, and was 
sure of a competence not afforded by any other calling of 
that day. 

The better class of old-time taverns always had a parlor. 



74 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

Til is was used as a sitting room for women travelers, or 
niij^ht be hired for the exchisive use of one wealthy person 
or family. It was not so jovial a room as the tap-room, 
where the drinks were dispensed, though in winter, an open 
fireplace gave to the formal furnishings that look of good 
cheer and warmth and welcome which is ever present, even 
in the meanest apartment, when from the great logs the 
tlames shot up glowing and crackling. We are more com- 
fortable now, with our modern ways of house-heating, but 
our rooms do not look as warm as when we had the old open 
fireplace. 

The Vd\) room was usually the largest room of the tav- 
ern. It had universally a great fireplace, a l)are, sanded 
fioor, and ample seats and chairs. It often had, also, a 
rather tall, rude writing desk, at which a traveler might write 
a letter or sign a contract, and where the landlord made out 
his bills and kept his books. But the principal feature of 
this room was the various kinds of drinks made and sold 
there. 

RAILROADS. 

No railroads were built in lower Virginia before the 
time we left tiiere to come to East Tennessee (about 1838), 
but several short lines of road had been built in the mining 
regi(Mis of Pennsylvania, and were in operation then. I 
never saw these railroads, but well remember the descrip- 
tions given me of them, by persons who had seen them. 

The track consisted of pieces of timber with strap iron 
spiked down on top of them. These spikes would soon come 



LAST OF Tim riOXEERS 75 

loose, and the ends of the straps would turn up. and were 
called "snake-heads.'' These snake-heads were sometimes 
forced up through the cars, and did great damage. Snake- 
heads were as common in early railroading as snags were in 
early steamboating. Scarcely was a trip ever made that 
some serious accident of some kind did not occur. Few of 
these mishaps were fatal to life, but they generally resulted 
in crippling the machinery so that horses or oxen, often both, 
had to be impressed in order to drag the clumsy locomotive 
and its load to the nearest station for repairs. The brakes 
were very poor and would not stop the train. \Mien they 
came to a station, the engineer opened the safety valve and 
allowed the steam to escape, two big negroes would seize the 
end of the train, and hold it, while timbers would be placed 
across the track in front of the wheels. T.oth the engineer 
and the conductor favored a curved track in order that they 
might look back and see that everything was all right. 

A YEAR WITH NO SUMMEF< ( 1810). 

We call this (1901-2) a long, hartl winter, but I re- 
member a winter in Old \'irginia, when 1 was a young man. 
that far suri)assed any winter remembered by the oldest in- 
habitants. I heard the people here in East Tennessee speak 
of it after I came here over twenty years afterward. The 
winter of 18 IT) liad been, as was then usual, a very .severe 
one. and the cold frozen weather extended far into the new 
year. When time came for gardening in the spring, the fury 
of winter had not abated in the least. In April, the snow 
was from four to six feet deep. In May, the surface only 



76 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

had melted, and the ground could not be reached for plant- 
ing purposes. In June, the snow had melted, but the ground 
was still frozen hard, and toward the end of the month an- 
other snow had fallen, sufficiently for sleighing purposes, 
and lasted for days. 

On the morning of July 4, the water froze in the wells 
and pitchers of the early settlers, and there was excellent 
skating in the neighborhood ponds. Snow fell toward noon, 
and the usual Independence Day exercises were held in an 
old-time log church, warmed by blazing log fires, and partic- 
ipated in by men, women and children clad in mid-winter 
clothing. 

The spring, when it came in reality, was so short and 
severe that no vegetation could grow in it. In August, the 
corn that had struggled against the adverse conditions of 
climate, went to tassel so early that it was useless for any- 
thing except fodder. In the spring of 1817, farmers were 
obliged to pay unheard-of prices for seed corn raised in 
1815. All kinds of breadstuffs went up until flour brought 
$17.00 a barrel. 

The winter following, as well as that preceding this re- 
markable summer, was likewise one of intense cold. All the 
streams were frozen over solid, and the usual hauling was 
done over the ice the same as on the land. The public health, 
however, was never better, and though the crops were a fail- 
ure, the old-time settler did not lose spirit, or become dis- 
couraged. 

There never was such a time before or since for hunt- 
ing deer. The snow had frozen so that a crust was formed 
on top that would hold up the weight of the dogs, but the 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 77 

sharp feet of the deer would break through, and they could 
not escape their pursuers, and so they were nearly all killed. 
They were never afterward very plentiful except in the 
mountains. Their flesh, however, was not verv good, as 
they had become poor through starvation, but were hunted 
and killed for mere sport. Many domestic animals likewise 
perished from cold and hunger. No, sir, our winters now do 
not compare with the old-time winters. They have been 
becoming milder for a hundred years or more. 

TRIP TO THE WESTERN DISTRICT. 

Old Master Jackson was very rich, and when he be- 
came very old, and thought he was soon going to die, he 
decided to divide his money and property among his children. 
His three daughters, and as he then thought, his other son, 
Sandy Jackson, were living in the far western part of the 
state. He concluded to send Master Corbin Jackson and 
myself with a wagon to the Western District to bring home 
his children. 

The government of North Carolina had commissioned 
a party of men to look out, survey, and clear out a road 
leading from the lower end of Clinch mountain, through 
Nashville to the Cumberland settlements. This road is now, 
and has ever since been called the Emory road, and was the 
only road deserving the name, leading from East Tennessee 
into the then far west. This road was made so that emi- 
grants from Virginia, North Carolina, and upper East Ten- 
nessee could reach the western part of the state which was 
being rapidlv settled up. Rut making a road then and 



7S LAST or THE PI OX BURS 

now, are widely different. Then making a road meant the 
clearing out of the trees, logs, and larger stones from a strip 
of land through the woods, from ten to twenty feet wide. 
No ditching or grading was done, and the gullevs were 
filled in with logs or stones so that a traveler's wagon could 
cross. 

Any person who has traveled this road for any consid- 
erable distance can not fail to notice that the land on which 
the road was made, was not well chosen. It often winds 
over high hills, often making curves in order to do so, when 
it could have gone around them. As a reason for this, I 
was told that those men who looked out the road often fol- 
lowed Indian trails which generall} led over high hills in 
order for the Indians to take frequent views of the surround- 
ing countr\ , in their travels. They seemed to have had in 
mind the crossing of the streams, for the road usually leads 
to shallow places in the creeks and rivers, where fords were 
made by cleaning out the largest stones. As there were no 
railroads leading into the western country, we were obliged 
to make our trip over this road, and in many places, far 
from settlements, it was very bad indeed. Streams had 
washed across it and cut such gulleys that we had to fill them 
up, or to make a kind of bridge in order to cross. In some 
places, especially in the mountains, it had overgrown with 
bushes so that we had to use our axe. We had frequent 
trouble in trying to ford the streams that would get so full 
from the rains, besides, we did not know, and sometimes 
could not tell, just where the ford was. 

We started from Blain's Cross Roads at the lower end 
of Clinch Mountain in October, and the weather was quite 



LAST OP TUB PIONEERS ?'.> 

cool. Our traveling outfit was an old-fashioned covered 
wagon, pulled by two large horses, a bay and a black. It 
was a heavy, tar skein wagon, and required to be greased 
with pine tar grease every day. So I provided a large bucket 
full, hung underneath the wagon, to the tail pole. There 
was an old-fashioned feed-box to the hind gate of the wagon, 
where the horses were hitched to eat their noon meal. We 
also took with us sufficient quilts and blankets to keep us 
warm. Whenever we would happen to reach a settler's 
house about camping time, Mr. Jackson would generally 
sleep in the house, but I never slept in a house during the 
trip. I would always sleep in the wagon whether he was 
with me or not. We were afraid thieves would try to steal 
our horses and rob our wagon ; and many times the two 
large, fierce dogs we took with us would set up a furious 
barking, and more than once, on slipping out to our horses. 
have seen a man glide away among the trees, and disappear 
in the shadows. Sometimes one or more suspicious looking 
men would come around to our camp, apparently to talk, but 
we eyed them closed, and fancied we could detect them 
eyeing the place where, and the way we had fastened our 
horses. We would always try, in some way, to let them 
know that we were armed, and would defend ourselves. 
We gave, also, some great accounts of our dogs, how vicious 
they were. 

We would always build a large log fire when we camped 
for the night. This not only kept us warm, but served to 
keep away wildcats, bears and wolves that would be sure to 
prowl around our camp at night. Very often we would be 
awakened in the late hours of the night by the fierce barking 



80 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

of our dogs as though some human or animal was approacli- 
ing our wagon, which we knew was the case, and although 
we frequently heard retreating footsteps in the woods, we 
seldom saw anything, and never knew for sure whether it 
was man or beast. And while we did not live in particular 
dread of any danger, still we knew that we were just as 
lial)le to attack from one as form the other, and were always 
on our guard. 

Mr. Jackson and I were both very fond of broiled meat, 
and when we began cooking our meat over the fire, the scent 
of the scorching meat would be certain to attract any bear 
or wolf, or especially any wild cat that might be prowling 
about in the vicinity. These latter would come very near to 
our camps giving forth their vicious yells, until, at times, 
they seemed to be on every spur of the ridge or mountain. 
We did not care much for them, for we felt sure that our 
dogs and fire would keep them at a safe distance. We were 
not so positive, however, as to the wolves, which we knew 
went in packs, and when driven by hunger, would not hesi- 
tate to attack a whole wagon train. We only heard a few 
solitary howls from these savage brutes, and when they 
seemed to be rather close to our camp, we would discharge 
our pistols, and on hearing their howls, our dogs would be- 
gin barking furiously, and the stragglers would depart, not, 
however, until they had climbed to the highest ridge at hand, 
and given several savage howls, as if to summon help from 
a distance. But once we had a serenade from a panther 
which tried our nerves, and made the hair stand on end. 
This was when we encamped at the foot of Cumberland 
Mountain. It was a wild, desolate place, where several 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS SI 

spurs of the mountain reached down to tlie road where we 
fixed our camp. We had tied and fed our horses, cut some 
dry wood and made a rousing- fire — for the evening" was 
chilly — and began broiling our meat, when a scream, re- 
sembling that of a woman, in distress, was heard, on a spur 
of the mountain not a quarter of a mile distant. The first 
yell convinced me what it was, but Mr. Jackson insisted that 
it was a wolf. After about five minutes, another unearthly 
scream rent the still and solemn night. This time it was not 
more than half as far away, and our dogs were terribly ex- 
cited, and seemed to be actually frightened. 

After a few minutes the scream again broke upon our 
frightened ears, this time very close to us, but he had 
changed from a direct course toward us, and had crossed 
over to another spur, and we could hear him walking in the 
leaves. Our dogs had taken refuge under the wagon, and 
it was with great difficulty that we could induce them to 
come out. One of us got the axe, and another the large 
pistol we had with us, and prepared for a desperate fight, 
thinking that he meant to attack us.. But he went nearly 
around us, keeping about the same distance away, and dis- 
appeared in the opposite direction. We were glad when he 
left us. One who has once heard the scream of a panther is 
not likely to ever forget it, nor to ever want to hear it again. 
We were told by the settlers about the mountains, that these 
animals were very bold, and would come into the barnyard 
and carry off pigs and lambs, and had been known to spring 
on a child and carry it off and devour it. Their favorite 
method was to climb a stooping tree, or lie flat on a limb 
near a path where cattle, sheep or hogs were accustomed to 



>>2 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

pass, and to pounce clown upon them. When cornered, they 
fight des])erately and easily whij) ofif a whole pack of dogs, 
frequently killing- several of them. 

It took us a whole day to cross the mountain, and we 
camped at a cabin on the other side. Mr. Jackson slept in 
the cabin, and I slept in the wagon. That night we were 
not disturbed. On the next night, we reached a house and, 
as usual, Mr. Jackson stayed in the house. It had been rain- 
ing a great deal that day, and continued raining at night. 
We got shelter for our horses, and T brought my quilts in, 
and slept on the porch, the dogs staying with the wagon. 
Xext morning I was a\vakened~t)nr' something sharp being 
poked against me. When 1 aroused up, there stood about 
a dozen regular soldiers about me. They had poked me 
with their sharp sabres. 1 was terri])ly scared at first to see 
the glittering guns and sabres, and the blue uniforms of 
the soldiers. They all wore high top boots, and big spurs. 
They asked me what was 1 doing there, where was I from, 
where was I going, and who was with me. I was trying 
to get my senses together enough so that I could tell them, 
when Mr. Jackson came out. They then left me alone and 
l)egan questioning him. He answered a few questions — 
what he thought was proper, and enough for them to know 
— and then told them that he knew his business and could 
take care of himself and did not need their protection, which 
seemed to make them somewhat angry. He generallv wore 
a cap in the house, and he had it on while he was talking 
to them. This cap seemed to amuse them very nuich. and 
they poked it with their swords and asked him what it was. 
This made him very angry, and finally, when they went 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS .s:{ 

away and left us, he pointed to his pistul, as niucli as to say 
tliat he would use it on them if they bothered him any more ; 
l)ut he did not think of it while they were there. 

We drove on, and met them twice that day, and they 
passed us twice going in our direction. They were well 
mounted, and each one carried his gun across his saddle in 
front of him. They seemed to be guarding about ten miles 
of the road, but we could not find out their business. 

After crossing the mountains nearly everybody we 
talked to told of the dreadful crimes of the nortorious Ten- 
nessee outlaw, John A. Murrell. He had been stealing 
slaves, robl^ing and murdering in all the western i)art of the 
country. I was almost scared to death for fear he would 
run on to us, and take me off. Mr. Jackson, seeing how 
l)adly frightened I was, thought to have nuich fun (^ut of 
me, and told me many horrible things he had read and heard 
of Old ]\lurrell, in order to work on my fears. 1 fe told me 
of his meeting with a stock driver, once, and turning and 
traveling with him until they came to a spring. They got 
down to get water. The stock driver lay down to drink, and 
Murrell shot him. fie robbed his pockets and only found 
seventy-five cents. He afterward said that a man tliat 
dressed as fine as that man did, and pretended to be a stock 
driver, and had no more money than that, ought to be killed. 

He also told me of his having stolen a certain old negro 
man and sold him ten times, each time the old slave would 
run away, C(Mne l)ack to Old Murrell who would give him 
ten dollars. He said that Murrell had a secret cave whore 
he put the negroes and horses he stole until he would have a 
boat load, when he would take them down the Mississippi 



S4 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

river, to New Orleans, and sell them. But before we reached 
Nashville, we learned that Murrell had been captured, con- 
victed and sent to the penitentiary. This was most welcome 
news to me, but, somehow, I could not help feeling afraid, 
lest he should escape from the prison and take me in. But 
I had the great satisfaction, as well as my curiosity satisfied 
to see the very man himself in chains. We had to pass right 
by where the convicts were at work, and seeing an ugly look- 
ing man with a ball and chain around his leg, working in a 
blacksmith shop, I asked who it was, and was told that it 
was the notorious outlaw, John A. Murrell. Then I ven- 
tured up and took a close look at him, and felt just about 
as one feels when looking at a lion in a cage. He seemed to 
be sullen, and did not like being looked at. I wanted to re- 
member his features so that if he ever escaped, and took up 
his old trade, and I saw him, I could keep out of his way. 

It was a considerable distance beyond Nashville to 
where the children were, but the roads were better, and we 
made better time. The name of the place was Green Garden. 
We put up with a man by the name of Lewis Lane. I was 
sent with the horses to the stable, and was told to feed them. 
1 started to give the horses some corn, but the man called 
out to me to let that corn alone, and to go down into the field 
and get some dry stalks. We found that feed was scarce in 
that neighborhood, and very hard to get. 

It took us about two days to hunt up the girls, and 
learned that Sandy Jackson had gone to New Orleans. Mr. 
Jackson wanted to find him very much, and talked of leaving 
me there, and going to New Orleans to get him. But I 
was so averse to remaining in that neighborhood, that he was 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 85 

afraid I would run off and come back to East Tennessee and 
leave him and the girls. So, he decided that we would come 
l)ack, and write for him to come. 

After resting our horses a few days, we started on our 
homeward journey. It had taken us ten days to make the 
^trip out. and as we had a much heavier load back, we sup- 
posed it would take us longer, but we made the trip back in 
the same number of days. In going out, we had learned 
where the houses were on the road, and Mr. Jackson had 
made arrangements for lodging for the girls, and so we regu- 
lated our travel back so as to reach the houses at night. 
Sometimes we would reach them before dark, and sometimes 
a while after dark. The girls would stay in the houses, and 
when Mr. Jackson could not get lodging, he would stay in 
the wagon with me. 

On the way back we experienced an awful storm. One 
day it had rained more or less all day, and toward night it 
began to look like a storm would come. We urged our team 
on as fast as possible so as to reach the house of a widow 
woman, where we had secured lodging as we went out. 

We reached the place just before dark, and barely had 
time to put up the horses, and fasten down the wagon cover 
when the storm began coming on. 

I got into the wagon, and began covering myself up. 
when the dogs under the wagon began barking. I heard 
some one coming toward where I was, and spoke to tiie dogs 
to be quiet. Two women from the house came, and climbed 
upon the wagon tongue, and asked me to go to the house. 
I told them I would stay with the wagon. They then asked 
me to come to the house and get something to eat. I told 



s6 LAST OP THE PIONEERS 

them that I had plenty. They begged me to go to the house 
and get some more quilts to put over me. I told them I 
had plenty of cover. Seeing that they could not get me to 
leave the wagon at all, they left and went back to the house. 
Very soon it began thundering and lightning such as I had 
never seen before, and have never seen since. It seemed that 
the thunder would jar down the houses and trees. The light- 
ning was so steady and constant that you could see an object 
as well as in daylight. It just seemed that the whole world 
was on fire. For the first time, the dogs left the wagon, and 
went to the stable where the horses were. I expected every 
moment that the lightning would tear the wagon to pieces. 
I was never, in all my life, so scared. 1 never expected to 
live through it, and wished that T had gone to the house with 
the women. I suppose the thunder and lightning lasted 
about an hour — it seemed to me four — when the rain 1)egan 
pouring in torrents. It seemed like dashing from a bucket, 
and I peeped out from under the cover to see what the storm 
had left, and the earth appeared as a sheet of water. The 
mountain creeks could be heard roaring for miles in all 
directions. When the rain was over, I got out of the wagon 
to look around, and the people came out from, the house to 
.see what had become of me, and were much surprised to see 
me safe and sound. W'c next thought of our horses. I took 
a pine torch and went to the stable, and found them and the 
dogs all right. X'ext morning we were not in a hurry to 
start, thinking to allow time for the streams to run down, and 
supposing that the roads would be repaired from the wash- 
outs, by ])eople along the road who had to use it. Mr. Jack- 
son ordered a ham to l)e ])oiled for us to use on the wav back 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 87 

home. He especially requested that it be cooked well done, 
as the girls could not eat it if it was not done. When 
we went to use some of it for dinner we found that 
it had just been put into boiling water and taken out. and was 
not cooked at all. Mr. Jackson and the girls were verv 
angry, but if they had looked closely at Pharaoh, they would 
have seen a smile bloom out on his face, for he knew that the 
most of that ham would fall to his share. And sure enough 
it did, and I had a fine time the balance of the way home 
broiling and eating ham. After twenty days absence, we 
arrived l)ack at Blain's Cross Roads. The trip had been 
the longest and the most interesting one of my whole life. I 
had enjoyed the greater ])art of it. and had been pretty badly 
scared on several occasions. It proved too hard a trip on 
our stock. Our l)ig black horse suffered the most. After we 
came back, the hair all came oft" his body, and he soon died. 
It seems to me now hardly possible that any team of horses 
could ever stand such a trip. People of the present day. 
who now travel in modern conveyances over the same road 
we traveled, could never be made to realize h\ any descrij)- 
tion, the inconveniences of travel by the means and tlie con- 
ditions of the same sixty years ago. 

PHARAOHS MASTER— PRACTICAL JOKES. 

EREE MASOXRV. 

Master Corbin Jackson was a jully, good-natured tel- 
low. and when in a good humor, lie delighted to play practi- 
cal jokes on me. I trcnerallv eni(ned them, as the\ usnallv 
afforded me considerable fun : but sometimes tlie\ were 



88 LAST OF TUB PIONEERS 

rather tough on me, and I got the worst end of the joke. 
The one that I am now going to relate did not terminate just 
as he intended that it should. Mr. Jackson was a Mason, 
and one day he was telling me what a great thing Free 
Masonry was for him, and said he did not see why it should 
not be just as good for me as for him. I told him that it 
looked that way to me. He said that if I wished to become 
a Mason he would initiate me free of any charge, although 
it had cost him a great deal of money. I agreed to allow 
him to proceed with the ceremony of making me a Mason ; 
and he said we would go into the next room. He took a key 
out of his pocket, and I asked him what it was ; and he said 
it was a ''Chris Key," used in initiating people. I asked 
him what was he going to do with it, and he said he would 
have to use it on me. He told me to lie down before the 
fire, face downward, and to bare my back, as he would have 
to press it against the skin on my back. Just then 1 heard 
the key strike the andiron, and the truth flashed across my 
mind — he was heating the key. I jumped to my feet just 
as he was about to brand my back with a hot key. He said 
I would never make a Mason, and I told him not if I had to 
have my back burned. 

HIDING THE KNIVES. 

But the next joke he played on me succeeded be^^ter to 
his liking and worse to mine. This time he had studied up 
a sure enough plan to burn me. He sent me to the kitchen 
for three table knives, and proposed to me that I might go 
outside and hide them, taking one at a time ; and, in case he 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 89 

(lid not remain in the house and tell me where I put the last 
one, that he would give me a plug of tobacco. I, of course, 
agreed to make the trial, little suspecting that a hard joke 
was in the game. He handed me one of the knives which I 
carried out and concealed. I returned to the room, ar.d he 
handed me another one which I likewise took out and hid. 
Rut when I came back and he handed me the third one, the 
])lade was so hot that it burned my fingers, and I dropped it 
on the floor at his feet. He called out, ''There, Pharaoh, is 
the knife." and fairly shook with laughter. Quick as a flash, 
I gral)bed up the knife by the handle, which was cool, and 
sprang out and hid it. He claimed that 1 was beaten, and I 
claimed I was not, for I had them all hidden. I would not 
tell him where they were until he gave me the tobacco. So, 
after all. I came out fairly well in the joke, even if I did get 
mv flnoers burned. 

I could tell many more, but these will be sufficient to 
show the jolly, good time we had. 

POLK A\n JONES DEBATE AT BL AIX'S X ROADS. 

One of the most memorable times that ever occurred at 
Blain's X Roads, was the occasion of the great debate be- 
tween James K. Polk and James C. Jones, candidates for 
governor, over sixty years ago. 

It was a time of great ]K)litical excitement, and party 
spirit was running very high. It was the beginning of the 
practice of what was called stump-speaking, which after- 
ward became so ])oi)ular. It was called stump-speaking for 
the reason that the candidates more often spoke in the ojxmi 



90 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

air than in a building, and frequently mounted on stumps 
or empty boxes so as to be seen by their hearers. The two 
parties, on this occasion, were about equally divided, and 
about the only way to distinguish between them, was that 
the Whigs usually wore a coon-skin cap — a coon skin being 
an emblem of the Whigs — while the Democrats could be gen- 
erally recognized by their yelling. Such an occasion was 
also the favorite resort of horse jockeys, shooting matches, 
and frequently a muster in the forenoon. Hence, there was 
most sure to be a large, miscellaneous assemblage from a 
radius of several miles around. Plenty of pure, home-dis- 
tilled whiskey and brandy, and an abundance of hard cider 
and ginger cakes was always on hand. It was a genuine old- 
fashioned, go-as-you-please day, when every man was con- 
sidered as having equal rights and privileges, which was 
construed to mean the right to get drunk and whip whom- 
soever he was able. But fighting then, was not as it is now. 
A man who would use a rock, stick, club, knife ur gun in 
a fight, was regarded as a coward, and no one would have 
anything to do with him. The combatants used their fists, 
and when a man "got enough." he said so, and the fighting 
stopped, the whipped man set up the treat, and no thought of 
renewing the trouble at any other time or place, was ever in- 
dulged. In fact, the fighters were afterward generally the 
best of friends. Such conflicts were always expected, and 
usually occurred on such occasions, hui were never seriousl}- 
considered. 

Well, the immense crowd had Ijeen gathering since early 
morning, and by noon it resembled a small army. There 
had been, in the forenoon, the usual horse swapping, match 



LAST Of THE PIONEERS 91 

shooting, dog fighting, and fisticuffs, but the crowd was, in 
the main, in a jolly, good humor, everybody having had a 
regular picnic. Now it was time to begin looking for the 
speakers and a change of program. There was no railroad 
then, and the candidates were to come on the regular stage 
coach from Knoxville, which was due to arrive about noon. 
So, all eyes were turned down the road to catch a first 
glimpse of the incoming coach. They were not doomed to 
wait very long, for it soon came into view over the hill, and 
Mr. Samuel Croft, the veteran stage driver, blew a stirring 
blast upon his bugle, as was his custom. 

Then, the air resounded with deafening cheers for Polk 
and Jones, as they were supposed to be in the coach. When 
the coach came to a standstill and the speakers alighted, 
there was more hurrahing and a general hand shaking. Most 
of the people did not know one from the other until the time 
for speaking, and their names were called. A speaker's 
stand and a few rude seats had been constructed on a little 
round knoll in a grove of timber just east of the road; and, 
as it was time for speaking to begin, the candidates repaired 
to it. Polk was introduced as the first speaker, and took the 
stand amid the thunders of applause from his friends. He 
was a gentleman of fine ai)pearance, tall and handsome, an 
eagle black eye — deep and penetrating, had a sjjlendid voice, 
and spoke with telling eft'ect. He discussed, in an able man- 
ner, the leading political issues, and then paid his respects 
to his opponent, using many amusing jokes and anecdotes. 
He referred to Jones as "Lean Jimmy," and characterized 
liis followers as the "coon-skin constituency." His speech 
was a masterlv effort, and was all liis friends could wish. 



1)2 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

When he took his seat, it was the general impression 
throughout the crowd that the Democrats had carried the 
day. 

When Jones arose to speak it was in a somewhat hesi- 
tating manner, which did not afford promise of a satisfactory 
effort. He. by no means, possessed the prepossessing ap- 
pearance of his opponent. He was six feet two inches tall, 
and weighed only one hundred and twenty-five pounds. His 
face was by no means beautiful to behold, and to say that the 
Whigs were considerably taken back ])y the personal appear- 
ance of their candidate, would be stating the case none too 
strongly. Then, again, their ardor was very nuich cooled by 
his awkward, hesitating manner. However, they rallied suf- 
ficiently to give him a few rousing cheers, to be followed by 
the hisses of the Democrats. After the usual formal salu- 
tation, he stood silent, fumbling in his side pocket, appar- 
ently, as all thought, for his handkerchief ; but, behold ! in- 
stead, what should he fish out but a piece of coon-skin, about 
four by six inches, and holding it up in full view of the large 
crowd, stroked it's fur, and said in a loud, clear voice. "Was 
there ever finer fur than this?" This was enough. A 
thunderbolt in a clear sky, would not have produced greater 
excitement, or scarcely more noise. Instantly, the coon-skin 
caps were as thick in the sky as stars on a clear night. The 
shouts and yells from the Whigs was truly deafening. A 
regular panic ensued, which for a time resembled a young 
riot, it was fully thirt\ minutes before enough quiet was 
restored for the speaker to proceed. W'hen finally, he was 
allowed to go on it was evident that he was perfectly at ease, 
and had the situaticm fullv at his command. He was, no 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS ^>:^ 

(l(ni])t conscious of his inability to cnpc with Polk in serious 
debate, but he answered briefly, and to the satisfaction of his 
friends, the arg^uments of Polk. He turned all of that speak- 
er's jokes against him, making' of them, the most amusing 
and ridiculous applications. He then added many of the 
drollest and most laughable anecdotes ever heard, and kept 
the crowd. Democrats as well as Whigs, in a continuous up- 
roar of laughter, from start to finish. P)Oth sides naturally 
claimed to have carried the day. It was certainly a glorious 
day for Plain's X Roads, and she never had another such a 
grand occasion. 

The result of this memorable campaign in Tennessee is 
well known. Jones was elected by a large majority. Tiiis 
was in 1841. Again in 1843, he defeated Polk a second time 
by much the same tactics. But James K. Polk was the idol 
of Tennessee Democrats, and was nominated, in 1841. for 
President. Though failing to carry his own stale, which ^-as 
still dominated by "Lean Jimmy's Coon-Skin Constituency," 
he was nevertheless elected over Henry Clay, the Whig can- 
didate. 

JOHX CHESNEY, PHARAOH'S LAST MASTER. 

John Chesney, one of the earliest settlers on P>ull Run 
Creek, was born at Spartanburg, v'^outh Carolina, December 
5, 1T94, and emigrated, early in the century, to East Tennes- 
see. He was scarcelv grown when he came, and was accom- 
panied by his father and mother. It appears that his father 
did not possess the energy and ambition necessary to conquer 
a wilderness and build u\) a new home. So these arduous 



1)4 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

duties devolved upon the son and mother, who proved them- 
selves equal to the occasion. The young man acquired a 
large body of land on Bull Run Creek and Comb ridge. Of 
the latter, he and William Colvin, bought a section extending 
about seven miles, for fifty dollars apiece. By the time Mr. 
Chesney had his home well under way, he had three neigh- 
bors — James Sailing, above Maynardville ; Mr. Cannon, at 
the lower end of Clinch mountain, and William Lane, about a 
mile above Cedar Ford. Soon Mr. Wyrick settled just above 
him on the same creek, and ere long the settlement was aug- 
mented by other settlers coming in. Mr. Chesney built a 
mill on the creek, and also operated a distillery. He was a 
soldier in the War of 1812, and served with Gen. Jackson. 
He married Ruthie, daughter of Wm. Lane, one of the earl- 
iest settlers. He died June 15, 1876, and was buried in the 
old family grave yard, in sight of where he built his first 
house. 

Upon asking Mr. Tilmon Chesney, a son of our sketch, 
why his father, as well as many of the other old settlers, 
passed over the comparatively level country, extending south 
and west of the lower end of Clinch mountain, and making 
their settlements in the rough, hilly ])ortions, I was told l)y 
him — and the same was afterward corroborated by other 
pioneers — that these smoother portions were covered with a 
dense growth of wild pea vine, and the lower districts, with 
an almost impenetrable cane brake. This land had but very 
little timber then, and was known as The Barrens. These 
cane brakes were exceedingly difiicult to prepare for the culti- 
vation of a corn crop. The pea vines furnished the most ex- 
cellent pasture for the cattle and hogs, and seemed designed 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 95 

by nature to serve this purpose to the early settler while he 
was devoting his cleared land to the raising of corn. But 
this wholesale pasturing l)y the immense numbers of cattle, 
sheep and hogs, at the early season of the year, before the 
seed pods matured, caused succeeding crops of this wild 
forage to become lighter and lighter ; and since it propagated 
entirely by means of seed, it soon became extinct. But in its 
place bushes sprang up, and in the course of half a century, 
a splendid growth of forest timber covered the Barrens ; and 
they, too, are a thing of the past — gone, save in the memor\- 
of the pioneer. 

Since the writer has been accorded the inestimable privi- 
lege of recording the recollections of Mr. Chesney's old ex- 
slave, Pharaoh, who has lived to become the most remarkable 
character, perhaps, on the American continent, he does nut 
deem out of place, an incident or two of the old man's life, 
rather amusing, but interesting. 

As has been stated, Mr. Chesney had a distillery in which 
was made the old-time, pure, unadulterated corn, a]iple, and 
peach juice, but known then as now, by familiar names. 
Uncle Pharaoh was not averse to taking a drink of these 
spirits when occasion presented. Neither was Billy Hart, a 
diminutive specimen of manhood who lived with Mr. Ches- 
ney, and who, from the small size of his feet, is now remem- 
bered by the name of "Dollar Foot." On one occasion, 
Pharaoh and Billy had been sent with two pails of slop quite 
a little distance away, to feed the hogs. It seems that each 
of them had been imbibing too freely, but succeeded in reach- 
ing the pen, climbing over, and pouring out the slop. While 
in the pen. they began scuflhng, and Billy becoming angered, 



m LAST OF THE PIONBBRS 

began fio^hting- Pharaoh. The latter being very strong, picked 
up the Httle fellow and pitched him ontside the pen. P)illy 
whimpered and threatened to tell the darkey's master for 
throwing him out. \Vhereu])on Pharaoh jumped out. picked 
him up, and threw him back in. saying as he did so. "Xow, 
what ye gwine to tell him?" 



A NARRO^^' ESCAPE. 

Air. Chesney's mill- was built on Bull Run creek, the 
dam extending across. When the creek became swollen from 
heavy rains, such quantities of logs and brush came down as 
to endanger the safety of the mill, and Pharoah was generally 
])ut to watch and keep these drifts pushed away. On one 
occasion the creek was very full, and as there had been so 
much clearing along the little bottoms, immense drifts of 
brush, trees, and logs were rusing down over the dam. 
Pharaoh, armed with a long spike pole, was standing on the 
forebay, pushing away such objects as threatened to strike 
the mill. As a large log came rolling along in the mad rush- 
ing current, he made a punch at the log, but his aim was not 
good. Plis pole missed the log and he could not recover the 
inertia of his body, and went plunging head hrsL inlu the Hear- 
ing, rushing tide. Over the dam he went, and struck the 
surging, splashing foam under the immense sheet of water 
along with the log he had aimed at. He was tlucked and 
soused and pitched and tossed about until he was more dead 
than alive, but finally succeeded in getting to the shore. He 
crawled out and went shivering and dripping to the house. 



LAST OF THE PIONliliRS 97 

walked up to the door, and said, "Alassa, I s'i)ose yon don't 
know how near yon came losin' (hs nij^^o^er a while aj^o." 

SLAVES AND SLAVERY. 

There were good slaves and bad slaves, and there were 
good masters and bad masters. There is an old saying that, 
"Bad fences make roguish cattle," and I have often thought 
that bad slaves often made bad masters. Slaves were often 
punished, sometimes severely, but as a general rule they de- 
served all that was given them. Many slaves seemed to think 
of onlv how thev could shirk the tasks that were given them 
to do, and to kill all time possible, and where you knew such 
as these you would often hear of whippings, I was not sur- 
prised when I heard about it, Imt more so, that I did not hear 
of it oftener. The darkey who went about his work in a 
cheerful, good-humored way, and tried to ^\i^ liis work right. 
and to please his master was sure to have a good time, and 
seldom got a punishment. lUit the one who was slow, and 
sullen, and slighted his work would be most sure to have a 
rough time. Sometimes when a darkey would not work he 
was put on short rations for a day or two, and this would 
generally bring him to his senses sooner than a whipping. 
All the talk you hear al)out masters starving their slaves is 
l)osh, for a man with any sense would know that a starved 
negro like a starved horse could not work ; and, as work was 
what they were kept for, they were, of course, kept in con- 
dition to work. 1 was a slave for eighty years, and I have 
seen all kinds of slaves and all kinds of masters ; and in nearly 
everv case it was as 1 have said. Of course, I have known 



<JeS LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

exceptions where slaves were cruelly and inhumanly treated. 
I have known them punished by standing them on hot irons ; 
by tieing their hands and feet, and laying them down in the 
hot sun ; by starving them ; and by whipping their naked 
backs with a bundle of raw-hide strings. True enough, 
these were generally very unruly slaves, but the punishment 
was unreasonable, and it only made the slave more sullen, 
and indifferent to his master's interests. Certain classes 
of white people living in a neighborhood would often get 
slaves into difficulties with their masters. Some slave- 
owners did not allow their darkeys to use tobacco, on account 
of the expense of providing it for them, and most of them 
loved it dearly. So these white people would give the 
darkeys tobacco for things which they would steal from their 
masters for them. It was often the case that a slick white 
family would get most of their living by having a slave or 
two to steal for them, and would pay the negro in tobacco, 
which he would use when his master was not around. 

Sometimes a white person would have a grudge at a 
slave-owner, and hire or persuade a slave to do some damage 
to his master. A negro was generally so careless about do- 
ing a thing of this kind that his master would have no diffi- 
culty in tracing the crime to the one who did it. Then if 
this darkey's hide would not hold shucks for a few days, it 
was nobody's fault but his. Sometimes a slave would be 
persuaded or even hired to leave his master by some rascal 
who did not care how much beating the poor darkey got, 
but only how much trouble he could cause his owner. 

Generally darkies were given from sundown Saturday 
until sunup Sunday, and some until sundown Sunday, but 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 9i> 

they were given to understand that when their furloui^li was 
out, they must be on hand. This was perfectly rijL^ht. l)ut 
there were many of them that would scarcely ever come in on 
time, and thus got themselves into trouble. When you come 
to think about the worry and trouble a dozen or more slaves 
would cause their owner, it is no wonder that many of them 
were punished. I do not see how they could ever have been 
controlled without it, and made to work enough to pay for 
their keeping. 

The darkies were annoyed to a most unlimited extent 
by white persons who practiced tricks on them. They were 
passionately fond of 'possum and sweet potatoes. Nearly 
every family of darkies had one or more good hunting dogs, 
and the masters allowed them to go out hunting, as the ani- 
mals were plenty, and gave much trouble about the raising 
of chickens. Of course, the potatoes could be had for the 
digging. These white men would slip out into the woods, 
covered with sheets, and scare the darkies almost to death. 
As soon as they saw the "haunt," they would break through 
the woods in a run, often losing axe, 'possums, and some- 
times a sack of potatoes found (?) on the way. This was 
fun for the white men, but hard on the darkey's nerves. Ik- 
might get over his scare in a few days by finding out that 
some white man had played a trick on him, but the loss of 
that 'possum and that bunch of potatoes would cause an 
*'aching void" that would last for months. Sometimes when 
'possum, and not fun, was the object, the poor fellows would 
be actually "held up" at the point of a gun, or a drawn club, 
and marie to hand over their game. In some cases a darkey 

L.cfC. 



100 LAST OP THE PIONEERS 

would show fij:i:ht, and exercise his muscles in defendinjt^ his 
game, and, in that case, usually carried it home. 

Speaking of the punishing of slaves, reminds mc of a 
funny incident that happened when I was a boy. ^ly master, 
Air. Jackson, had three other negro women who had children 
besides my mother. There was quite a crowd of us children 
when we were altogether. Master had a large cucumber 
patch, and one day we young ones decided to make a raid on 
the cucumbers, which we did. While we were bus}- gather- 
ing cucumbers. Master Jackson came along and called us all 
out into the road. We were all very badly scared, for we 
expected to get a good flogging. He placed us all in a row,, 
facing the fence, with our bare feet in the dust, and then 
cam.e around with a switch. He walked along and made a 
mark around each little negro's feet, so that he could see if 
he moved out of his tracks. I was the largest one, and had 
been placed head. When he was through marking around 
our feet, he stepped up to the fence, which was a common 
rail fence, and with his switch in one hand, he raised up 
about three of the top rails, and bad me march uj) and put 
my head into the crack. 1, of course, had to do it, which 1 
did as meekl}- as a lamb led up to a butcher's block. When 
my head was through, he began to let the rails down lightly 
on my neck, anrl I commenced screaming at the t*^]) of my 
voice, "Oh, Lord, massa, you is breaking my neck short off.'" 
I continued to beg and scream, and promise to be as good as 
an angel, if he would not kill mc. He let down the rails just 
enough so that I could not jerk my head out, and began 
switching me where my body was bent and my dress the 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 101 

tightest. I soon saw that I could stand it all right, and it 
tickled me most to death to think that I would get to stand 
out in the road and watch a dozen little negroes go through 
the same performance. As soon as he had switched me a 
little he turned me loose and yelled out to me, "Back into 
your tracks, Pharaoh." I jumped back into my tracks, anx- 
ious to see the next boy's neck broken like mine was. But I 
had created such a scene over my affair that the others were 
so scared that they were having a regular buck-ague, and 
some of them had even staggered out of their tracks. To 
make it harder on them, if possible, I was holding my neck 
and making a hideous face, but most of it in an effort to keep 
from laughing aloud. 

At last Master called to the next boy to come up and 
take his medicine. The boy was so scared that he could not 
move, and when Master called him again, the poor fellow 
managed to mutter out, '*0, Lordy massa. would you kill a 
poor little nigger for a green cucumber?" 

^Master was so tickled that he did not call any more up 
to the fence, but just passed along and gave each of them a 
lick or two with the switch. 

But the masters or their overseers were the only persons 
who were allowed to whip a slave, and no master would per- 
mit anv one else to strike one, or mistreat Inm, unless the 
slave was acting very badly. 

1 remember at Clarksville, some mechanics were work- 
ing across the river at Klipper's landing, building some 
houses : and the overseer o\\ our plantation had told the 
slaves that if anv of the mechanics called across the river to 
get over, that whoever of them that was the nearest should 



102 LAS7' OF THE PIONEERS 

take the canoe to him, and bring him across. One day, a me- 
chanic by the name of Wilkinson called over for a negro boy 
to bring the canoe to set him across. The boy took the canoe, 
and the man got into the vessel and stood up while the boy 
paddled it across. When the canoe struck the bank, the man 
pitched forward out into the mud and water, which he should 
have known would have happened to him. It was so funny 
that the boy laughed, which made Wilkinson so mad that he 
struck the boy a hard blow or two on the head. The boy's 
father was working near by, and the boy went and told him 
all about it. The boy's father called to the mechanic, and told 
him that he would give him his choice to take a whipping 
from him, then and there, or he would go and report him 
to the overseer. The man argued with the old negro awhile, 
but it was no use, and he had to take his choice at once. So, 
after studying over it as long as the old negro would allow 
him to, he at last concluded to take a whipping from the old 
slave. The boy was sent for a good switch, and the old negro 
gave him a sound flogging, and that settled it. 

It was a general weakness among slaves to steal, not 
that they always needed the things they took, but with some 
it seemed an impossibility to resist the temptation ; but I 
know from a long experience that the negroes did not steal 
everytliing that was missed. There were thieves among the 
whites, and they generally managed to get out of being ac- 
cused by charging it to the negroes on general principles. 
Personally, my greatest temptations were sweet potatoes in 
'possum time, and the darkey's most delicious fruit, the water- 
melon. A watermelon patch was never any safer in Virginia 
or Tennessee, than an African cane patch from a drove of 
monkevs. 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 103 

We had, on our plantation near Clarksville, large water- 
melon patches, but it was big fun to swim the river over to 
Klipper's, and then if any of our master's melons were missed, 
it could not be traced to us. With these advantages, and the 
melons as an inducement, I, with some other boys, would 
make regular voyages across the Roanoke and Dan. when the 
sun was not shining ; and paddle over two large melons 
apiece. The way we would manage the melons was to break 
ofif the stems rather long, tie a string to each of them, and 
swing them around our necks. When once in the water, they 
would float, and not be any weight much upun our necks in 
swimming. 

But I made some dangerous trips and came near being 
drowned several times. A great deal of chicken stealing 
was very justly charged to the darkeys, especially when there 
was to be a big negro frolic. A negro knew just how to take 
a chicken from a tall roost without noise. On a cold night, 
he would heat a piece of plank and hold it u\) in front of a 
chicken, and it was said that they would step oflf the limb 
right on to the warm plank, and could be carried any distance. 

The darkey's jolly nature responded perfectly to any 
kind of excitement that produced pleasure, or was connected 
with any kind of fun. In the earlier days of slavery, musical 
instruments were too expensive to be owned by the average 
negro ; but he managed to remedy this condition by making a 
gourd fiddle. This he would string u]) with catgut strings, 
likewise of his own make, and it was astonishing how nuich 
music they could get out of this funny looking instrument. 
A banjo was not very hard to make. Almost any common 
mechanical genius could take an ordinary meal sieve hoop. 



104 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

fit a neck to it, stretch a raw cathide across it, put on some 
cat out strings, and a banjo would be made that almost any 
darkey could beat enough music out of to keep up an uproar 
all night at a darkey dance. The white man is just as skillful 
with his lingers in making the notes ; he learns the tune per- 
fectly, and can sing it through : he can execute perfectly the 
steps in-all the leading jigs, 1)ut there is something entirely 
. original and peculiar in the negro's use of his fingers on the 
banjo; of his voice and action in singing; and his carriage in 
the dance ; and something that the white man may imitate 
more or less closely, but he can never duplicate the old-time 
darkey and his banjo. 

Speaking of the negro and the banjo reminds me of a 
circumstance that was told to me when I was a young man, 
and was said to be true. There was to be a wedding of two 
darkeys, a big potato and 'possum feast, and, of course, 
pumpkin ])ie. and such other dainties as delight a darkey's 
soul, and all of it to be wound up with a big negro frolic. 
All the darkies from all the surrounding neighborhoods were 
invited, and had been for a week, the most faithful, indus- 
trious beings that ever lived in order to merit and earn the 
privilege of getting off early Saturday evening in order to 
attend the big aft'air. At that time, the country was thinly 
settled, and the houses were scattered about in patches of 
clearing, with large forests of timl)er l)etween them. l>y the 
time the darkeys got their feeding done, and supper eaten, it 
was dark, and there were plenty of wild animals that fre- 
quently disputed a darkey's right to travel a certain path 
after night, and the darkey would always be ol^liging enough 
to seek safety in rapid Hight, and allow the bear or wolf or 
whatever it might happen to be. an undisputed right of way. 



LAST OF THE PIONBURS lOo 

It liappened that one darkey, living- in a remote neighl:)or- 
hood, was selected to be the chief one at the ceremony, and 
afterward, was to be accorded the honored privilege of mak- 
ing the music, and calling ofif the figures in the dance that was 
to last far into the Sabbath day. This darkey had been at 
great pains stringing up his banjo in the most substantial 
manner, and made every possible preparation for discharging 
the duties assigned him. It so happened, however, that he 
was rather late in getting a start for the scene of the fun and 
festivity, but undaunted, and without a single misgiving as 
to his ultimate success in reaching there in time, he started 
on his way. banjo in hand. The way was through a mile or 
so r-)f thick forest, with only a narrow, unfrequented road 
through it, and only one cabin on the way, in a ])atch of 
cleared ground, which he knew to be unoccupied. 

I Jut calling u]) all the courage possible, and ])ossessing a 
realizing sense of his own special importance on the present 
occasion, he boldly struck out at a rapid pace, along the dark, 
solitarx wa\ . It was so dark that the only way he could tell 
a])out the road was by watching for the opening of the timber 
overhead. He was frequently startled by the hoot of an owl, 
l)Ut this did not affect him much except to increase his feeling 
of loneliness. He had proceeded al^out half way through the 
woods to the deserted cabin when his blood was almost 
chilled at the sound of the howl of a wolf directly behind 
him. and not very far away. This was followed by seem- 
ingly a dozen more in rai)id succession, lie was now (piite 
sure that he was being closely pursued by a full pack of hun- 
gry wolves, and he knew that his only chance to save himself 
was to run with all his might to the empty cabin, anrl hoped. 



10(> LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

if he could to reach it in time to fasten the door and keep out 
the wolves until some one would find out his condition and 
rescue him. So, he broke into a mad run for the clearing, but 
the road was so rough, and the night was so dark, that he 
found it exceedingly difficult to maintain what he considered 
a sufficient speed to outstrip his hungry pursuers. Several 
times he stumbled headlong over a stump, and it is a wonder 
that he did not break his banjo. Once, he lost his hat, but 
did not stop to get it. It perhaps saved his life ; for when the 
w(^lves came to where it was, they stopped long enough to 
tear it to pieces, and to satisfy themselves that that was all 
that was left. Then mad and howling with hunger and rage» 
they s])rang forward on the trail, but the delay had enabled 
the poor negro to run several yards, and to lessen the distance 
to the cabin to that extent. At last, as the savage brutes were 
drawing near to their intended victim, a cleared spot of 
ground and a lonely cal)in a short distance ahead greeted the 
eyes of the frightened darkey who was running as he had 
never run before, and scared as he had never been before. 
Hut the alarming truth flashed across his mind that the 
wolves were nearer to him than he was to the cabin, and 
realizing this fact came near |:)aralyzing him. l)Ut calling to- 
gether all his strength for another desperate effort, he 
plunged forward at the \ery top of his speed, just as he 
reached the edge of the clearing the wolves were not a dozen 
yards behind. He could now distinctly hear the sound of 
their a])proaching f(K)tstcps, and the snapj)ing of their sharp 
teeth. I'or some reason, he decided to change his banjo to 
his left side, leaving his right arm free, when he accidently 
drew his trembling fingers across the strings, making a verv 
loud noise. 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS 107 

This noise seemed to have some magical effect on the 
brutes, which ceased their howhngs, and apparently almost 
stopped. But only for a moment ; then with renewed howl- 
ings they again dashed forward, and would have been up with 
him ere he reached the cabin, when he again with considerable 
force, drew his fingers rapidly across the strings of his banjo, 
which had the eff'ect to again check them long enough for 
him to spring into the cal)in, and slam the door shut. He 
then barricaded the door with a heavy puncheon, wliich kept 
them out until he had time to regain his breath, and decide 
upon some mode of action, as he felt certain that they would 
very soon effect an entrance into the cabin. The old roof had 
fallen in, and the long, bare weight-poles were just above his 
head. Taking his banjo in one hand, and with a jumj) he 
caught one of the poles with the other hand, and swung him- 
self up astride the ridge pole, Ijut not a minute too soon, as 
several ugly noses were already prying open the door, and by 
the time he was seated, the combined weight of half a dozen 
of the ferocious creatures caused the puncheon to give way, 
and the door swung open. In rushed the whole jjack, eager 
to make a quick supper on the negro, whom they supposed 
nuist be just on the inside. 

Round and round thev went, searching everv nook and 
corner, when at last one of them spied liim on the pole above. 
With a mighty spring and a powerful snap of its great jaws, 
it came near reaching a foot tlial was dangling rather low. 
■ Immediately a general assult l)y means of powerful jum])s 
was made on the darkey's position, eacli jump being accom- 
panied by a clash of teeth that could be heard fifty yards 
awav. The.se assauks were all directed at the part r.f the 



108 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

darkey that hung" the lowest down, and pieces of his already 
tattered garments were frequently caught and torn off by the 
savage brutes. He could fancy to himself that they were be- 
coming more desperate and intent upon reaching him, and he 
shifted his position so as to put every part of him likely to be 
reached by them out of the way. In doing so, he again dis- 
turbed the strings on his banjo, and again the beasts quieted 
at the sound. Then a happy thought came into his mind. He 
might save himself by playing tunes on his banjo. He 
thought he would try just the mere noise at first, and if that 
succeeded he would put his banjo in tune and give them 
some of his best performances, as they seemed to l)e doing 
their best for him. Again, as before, the sound produced by 
the banjo seemed to bewilder them, and they seemed to be 
half inclined to flee, but goaded by hunger, they would renew 
their frantic efforts to reach him. Then, the darkev. more 
hastily than ever before in his life, put his banjo in tune for 
an Old Virginia breakdown, and began clawing off the music 
in a furious way, when the wolves would subside, and most 
of them slink out to the outside, and scratch at the walls of 
the old cabin. P)Ut when the negro became tired, or stopped 
to tune his banjo for something else, they would immedi- 
ately rush in, and seem determined, more than ever, to reach 
him. Again he would strike up .some old familiar plantation 
melody, during the performance of which, the savage brutes 
would be more ([uiet. So, realizing that his safety depended 
upon his ability to pour into the ears of these beastly denizens 
of the forest, a steady stream of music, he applied himself, 
with all possible industry to the execution of all the reels, 
jigs, and ho-downs that he ever knew or heard. He kept 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS l(i*» 

this up without a minute's intermission until ntarlv dayhj^ht, 
when the darkeys at the froHc, which was only about a lialt 
mile away, hearing the continual howling of the wolves at 
the cabin, and suspecting that they had besieged some one in 
It, came wnth dogs and guns, run the savage brutes awav, 
and rescued the frightened, and much exhausted darkey. 

It is needless to say that his non-a])pearance at the big 
frolic was a great disappointment, perhaps felt more keenly 
by himself than by any one else. And if that darkey did not 
turn white, or his hair straighten out, it was not because he 
was not scared badly enough. 

The great advantage of the slave to the family of the 
owner during the civil war can not be over estimated. Thou- 
sans of families depended almost entirely during times of 
peace upon the labor of the slave. \Mien the war came u]), 
nearly all the slave owners were on the side of the Confed- 
eracy, against the Federal government, ilnd most of them 
went into the service, either as officers or as soldiers. This 
left the slaves as the sole dependence of the family, to take 
care of the stock and property : to guard and jjrotect the fam- 
ily, and to cultivate the farms in order to produce a living. 
Willi the Confederates, it was different from the b'ederals. 
General Grant said the South had to "rob both the cradle and 
the grave" for soldiers, 'i'his meant that even the boys and 
the old men were compelled to go into the army. While at 
the North only the able-l)odied men of middk- age were re- 
quired to go into the service. This left at home the young 
men and the older men to carry on the work and the business. 
lUit in the South there were none left who could work but the 
darkeys. The peo|)le at the .Vorth foresaw that if the war 



no LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

continued \ow^ that all of the male population would be 
pressed into the service, and many of them were tickled at the 
idea that the darkeys would not work without masters to 
drive them ; that the farms and j^roperty would go to de- 
struction through neglect ; and that the families of the South- 
ern men would starve when their living depended upon the 
darkeys. Ijut how badly they were mistaken, the world now 
knows. With but few exceptions these slaves went about their 
work with greater diligence, and were more careful and in- 
dustrious owing to the greater responsibilities placed upon 
them in their master's absence. True enough, many of the 
wives, and sometimes a daughter, w^ould assume the duty of 
overseer and direct the farming affairs, but after all. the judg- 
ment of the darkey, in executing the work was the secret of 
success. He cultivated and gathered unmolested, the crops, 
when the owner would have run a great risk of his life even 
to be seen in the community. When the "enemy," as the Fed- 
erals were called, were known to be coming through the com- 
munity, the colored man well knew how little sympathy and 
respect they had for all things belonging to the rebels, that 
they secreted everything capable of being hidden from the 
Yankees, and thus saved it for the family. The corn and 
bacon were carried to caves, or cellars were dug in the side of 
the hill, the produce put in, and covered over with dirt and 
leaves until all danger had passed. The horses and cattle 
were haltered and driven off into some far-off thicket, and al- 
lowed to remain until the soldiers had passed on. Pens were 
built off in the woods and the hogs coaxed into them, to re- 
main until the Yankees were gone. 

If thieves or prowlers came around, day or night, the 



LAST Of THE PIONEERS 111 

darkey knew how to use a musket, and would not hesitate to 
do so in order to protect "missus" and the children. 

During the war, two Yankees came to the home of Air. 
Octavius Yoe, who lived six miles above Rutledge. It was 
dark when they came, and chickens seemed to be the sole 
object of their mission. One of them took a light and climbed 
up into the hen house, and would hand down the chickens to 
the other man at the door, who would wring ofif their heads, 
and pitch them out into the yard. They would flutter out into 
the darkness, where a daughter of Mr. Yoe and several small 
negro children were standing. One of these would pick up 
the chicken, hand it to another, this one would pass it to an- 
other and so on until one of them would carry it ofif and hide 
it. This continued until every chicken had been taken from 
the roost and killed. Then the Yankees started to gather up 
their chickens and leave, but lo ! and behold ! not a chicken 
could be found. Every one had disappeared. Then the 
wrath and rage of the soldiers knew no bounds. They cursed 
and swore and ripped and tore, and threatened all kinds of 
vengeance against the children unless the chickens were pro- 
duced. But old "Aunt Lucy," the colored woman, and mother 
of some of the children, put on a bold and defiant front, and 
told them that she would break their heads if they dared to 
molest the children. After the departure of the soldiers, there 
was a general cleaning of chickens, which were dressed and 
packed away for home use. 

But there was one thing that the darkies could not well 
hide, and that was the fence rails, if there was one kind of 
fire which a soldier enjoyed more than another it was one 
built of fence rails. I remember once nn a cold November 



112 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

evening, a company of soldiers in passing through our com- 
munity, stopped and i)itched tlieir camp for the niglit near 
the home of one of our neighbors. We all knew what this 
meant to the community, for, upon such occasions, every- 
thing in the shape of something to eat would most surely l)e 
in pressing demand. So. there was a general scramble to get 
out of sight everything possible; but if a soldier did not 
happen to see just what he wanted, he most always possessed 
the happy faculty of rightl}- suspecting aljout where it would 
likely be hidden, and could usually discover its whereal)outs. 
But on this particular occasion, they seemed to have supplied 
themselves with necessary provisions, and proceeded at once 
to make fires. The soldiers, as you know, divide up into a 
certain num1)er of squads called "messes," and each mess 
makes a fire for cooking and warming. The master of this 
farm was a soldier in the Confederate service, which, per- 
haps, the Yankees knew. The mistress was out watching, 
and heard the usual command given to "Fall a rail, and take 
the lap." She saw the command promptly obeyed by at least 
a half-a-hundred rails being lifted from as many paneLs. She 
thought she saw unmistakable signs of her fence being all 
burned up. and sent her old colored man over to the tent of 
one who appeared to be an officer, to beg him to not allow lier 
fence to be all burned u]). His tem])er seemed to have 
already l)een ruffled at something, and he replied somewliat 
sharply: "\'ou just go back and tell that old stingy mistress 
of yours that we are just going to take off the top rail." So, 
it was observed that at each trip they always lifted off' tlie 
top rail, l)ut by the time camp was broken next morning, a 
goose could have stejiped (»\er tliat fence. Tlie officer, of 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS n?> 

course, ^ave her a voucher for the property used, which, it 
she had taken care of, would have been paid in full. Uut 
most people considered these papers as no ^ood, and de- 
stroyed them. Afterward they wished they had kept them. 

It was often a most pitiful spectacle to watch the tired, 
hungry and thirsty soldiers march along. Many of them ap- 
])eared to be lame, and many seemed to be sick. The Yankees 
generally had good shoes and clothes, as well as good tents, 
1)ut the Confederates, especially toward the close of the war, 
l)resented a sad sight. They were very poorly clad, many of 
them had neither shoes nor blankets, and bore the marks of 
exposure, hunger and fatigue. All soldiers, of either side, 
learned that the slaves were friends of a needy soldier, and 
would render him every aid in their power. Many a poor, 
hungry soldier has in the dark hours of night crawled from 
his tent, crept as noiselessly as a cat by the sentinel on his 
l)eat, and made his way to the cabin of some old darkey, and 
there was given a supper of bacon, corn bread, and coffee, 
perhaps in quantity, in excess of a whole week's rations. 

A company of Confederate soldiers was passing through 
a neighborhood that had been relieved of almost everything 
eatable, and their only subsistence was a short allowance of 
hard tack. They halted at noon at a spring of water for the 
double purpose of resting, and of washing down the hard 
tack with the spring water. Al)out the time they were pre- 
paring to remount and resume their march, one of the soldiers 
was observed a short distance from the cami) eating green 
persimmons. The officer, somewhat exasperated at the seem- 
ing indift'erence of the soldier to the command to remount, 
called out very sharply, and demanded t<> kn<>\\ \\h\ he was 



114 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

eating' tlic .qreen persimmons. The soldier prom])tly an- 
swered. "To draw up my stomach to fit my rations, sir." 

Speaking of the war reminds me of several funny inci- 
dents. A soldier, when he was not wounded and in a hos- 
pital, or exposed in the firing line of a battle or skirmish, or 
amid the dead and dying on the battlefield, could be quite 
humorous, and get off many amusing sayings. 

As you know, in the South, before the war. the large 
slave owners kept a large, fierce species of bloodhounds to 
hunt down the runaway negroes who would flee from their 
cruel masters and take refuge in the swamps. So many hor- 
rible stories had been told of darkies being run down and 
torn to pieces by these ferocious dogs, that it is said General 
Sherman gave orders to his soldiers to kill every one of these 
dogs that they saw. On one occasion while they were passing 
a farm house in Georgia, a small poodle dog, the idol and pet 
of the household, ran out. barking fiercely^ A soldier im- 
mediately caught up the little dog, and went on carrying the 
little animal to a convenient place of execution. The lady of 
the house came out screaming for the soldier to turn loose her 
l)et. The soldier answered that they had orders to kill every 
bloodhound they could find. "But that's no bloodhound." 
exclaimed the lady. "But, madam," replied the soldier, 
"there is no telling what he may grow up into if we leave 
him," and the poor dog was carried on to his death. 

Equally amusing were some of the replies and remarks 
made to the people who would interpose an objection when a 
demand was made for any kind of supplies. Once, during 
Sherman's marcli to the sea, the army was passing near a 
farm house, and a soldier darted out of ranks, and ran around 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 115 

to the harn. evidently in quest of chicken. Here he was con- 
fronted by the lady of the house, who politely asked the sol- 
dier to leave her chickens alone. He seemed disposed to 
press his demand for a chicken. He was then told that this 
special flock of fowls had been spared by all the troops that 
had passed that way, and that the commanding g-eneral had 
issued a special order for the protection of these very fowls. 
The soldier listened attentively to all of these arguments, and 
then gravely remarked, "Madam, what you say, no doubt, is 
true, but this rebellion must be put down if it takes every 
chicken in the Confederacy to do it." And, so saying he ap- 
propriated one of the finest of them, wrung off its head, 
stutifed it into his knapsack, and hurried on to overtake the 
command. 

Since the darkeys, on the big plantations, were most 
generally appealed to for victuals by the hungry soldiers who 
chanced to camp in the vicinity, they were treated by the 
troops with about as much consideration as were the whites, 
and they received many favors from them that would have 
been denied them by the white folks. . 

On one occasion, a soldier called to an old darkey's cabin 
lo borrow a skillet to take to his camp a short distance away. 
The old woman was very particular to have all her cooking 
vessels as clean as could be. She agreed to lend the skillet 
to the soldier, and handed the vessel to him. Instead of tak- 
ing it, and carrying it away, he began turning it over, and in- 
specting it very closely. The old woman thinking that he 
suspected it not to be clean, became somewhat angered, and 
told him that he need not be afraid the vessel was not clean. 
The soldier replied that the skillet was all right, but that he 



ik; last of the pi ox burs 

was just thinkinj^ how nice it would be if he had some 
meat to fry in it. 

Whereupon, the old woman cut olY a generous hunk of 
bacon, and handed it to the soldier, who went on to cam]^ re- 
joicing. 

SUPERSTITION. 

Well, yes, I suppose the negroes, on the whole, have 
more superstitution about their beliefs than the average white 
people have. I think I can easily account for this. In the 
first place, the negro race have not had the same advantages 
of education as the white people, even if they had as good 
minds, which some deny, and are therefore ignorant; and 
where you see an ignorant person, you will see one who can 
be made to believe almost anything. In the next i)lace. the 
negroes have been always taught to believe in strange things, 
and such beliefs are slow to die out, when the white people 
were making an effort to keep it up. Some would tell them 
all kinds of terrible things just for fun. while others would 
use this method of getting them to do things that they would 
not otherwise do. ]\Iany a poor negro has l^een taken ad- 
vantage of in this way, and a slave made of his mind as well 
as of his body. Xo doubt they were often scared into l)eing" 
religious, with the hope that they would be more honest and 
faithful. 

I Jut, I tell you, things have happened that tried the souls 
of more people than the negroes. The earthquakes of 1811 
and 18r<?, were looked upc^n by both white and black, as the 
forerunner of some great calamity such as war. or the dav 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 117 

of iudgment. and it didn't matter which to us, as one was to 
be dreaded about as much as the other. It, however, made 
some chfference among the people, for the good, reHgious 
])eoplc would say they would rather the judgment day would 
come, as they were ready to change their home-spun rags 
for ascension robes, but many of us said that if it were left 
to our choice, we would take our chances in war. The 
shocks were felt for a distance of over 300 miles, and the 
people were wild with fear and excitement. Many left their 
l)usiness and their work and made a rush for the church 
houses, believing that God would not allow them to be de- 
stroyed, and also, some to engage in prayer in order to com- 
plete their preparation for another world ; and still others, 
, who felt that they had already "made their peace-calling and 
election sure," to enter into a thanksgiving that the Great 
Day had at last come. Some were so overcome with fear of 
the dread calamity that they could not move, and I have heard 
of some who were actually frightened to death. lUit the 
earth(|uakes were not all. Just about the time the preachers 
wlio had assured the people of the certain coming of the 
day of doom, were explaining why it had not taken place, 
the great comet of the same year, came streaming across the 
sky ! (Jh. that was a sight never to lie forgotten while one 
lives who saw it. It was of great size, and lighted the earth 
as l)right as day. This wonderful comet coming as it did al- 
most at the same time as the earthcjuakes, was a circumstance 
so powerful as to alarm the stout-hearted ones who laughed 
before, and when the great northern light which reddened the 
nortiiern sk\ like a rising sun for months, happened at about 



118 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

the same time, the people all came to the conclusion that 
something dreadful was going to take place, and that the 
Lord was giving the people warning so that the}- might not 
be taken unawares. I shall never forget these times, how. 
after the day's work, the darkeys would gather in the log 
cabins, and pray, and sing soul-stirring songs until they were 
so exhausted that they fell asleep. The preachers, on Sun- 
day, would create a i)anic in the church by their references to 
these events, and the excitement would continue during the 
week, with the people at their homes. If a person did not be- 
lieve in something terrible going to hai)pen, he did not speak 
out his mind. 

Soon after this, as you know, the War of \b\'i came on 
with its bloodshed and destruction of property : and follow- 
ing this, the massacres of white people by the Indians. Many, 
in fact, about all the people, accepted these wars as an expla- 
nation for these awful signs. But the most trying time on 
the souls of poor, ignorant mortals that I ever saw was when 
the great shower of falling stars took place in the year 1833. 
At night the heavens resembled a snow storm, with the flakes 
falling. The wildest excitement prevailed among all classes 
of people. Everywhere the peojile gathered there was sing- 
ing, praying, and shouting. It was an evidence and a sign 
so powerful and convincing that many people went to their 
enemies to whom they had not spoken for years, each ac- 
knowledging his faults to the other, and making friends so 
that the Judgment day would find their hearts right. Some 
acted in a funny way, others, it was ])itiful to sec their actions. 
Some became .so nervous thai thev never eot over it while 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 119 

they lived. Very few people expected to see the world stand 
for any length of time, and tliey simply let all home and busi- 
ness affairs go. 

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. 

There has always been a large class of people who have 
maintained against all arguments that human slavery is an 
unmixed evil ; that all men are created, and remain in the 
sight of their Creator equal ; that all apparent social and in- 
tellectual differences is due, not to any inherent superiority 
of the one nor the inferiority of the other, but to a diff'erencc 
in environment or condition; and that equal advantages of 
culture and refinement, would place them on an equal plane. 
While, on the other hand, a great number of people defend 
the institution from various standpoints, as right. It is 
highly probable that but few of any of the arguments, ])n> 
or con, was entirely without prejudice, which was sure to 
outcrop in the controversies and lend coloring and feeling to 
the discussions. It was noticeable,, however, during tlie 
heated word encounters, that the strongest defenses in the 
way of arguments generally proceeded from those persons 
who owned several slaves, or was directly benefited by their 
labor. True enough, sometimes, you would hear of some 
poverty-stricken person who never owned an acre of land, 
much less a negro, speak of "fighting for our negroes." 'I'he 
sentiment against the slavery of the African race was kindled 
to a very high i)itch several years before the breaking out of 
the civil war. Man> of the most infiuential ])apers. the most 
elo(|uent preachers, and the very ablest statesmen of the conn- 



120 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

trv engaged in an unrelenting' war on slavery, and many good 
people devoted their lives and their fortunes toward the 
aholition of slavery. Many of them accomplished a great 
deal in the way of moulding public opinion, while the zeal of 
many "was not according to knowledge," and they actually 
injured the cause by attempting too much, or by pursuing the 
wrong methods to accom])lish their ends. Many a poor mis- 
guided man like poor old John P)rown whose zeal for a noble 
cause took on the form of fanaticism, was a victim to an ill- 
timed movement, that seemingly a sober thought would con- 
vince him thai it could but result in failure and disaster. The 
cause of abolition suffered more from such abortive steps 
than from the combined arguments of the pro- slavery men. 

One reason why the Xorth wanted slavery abolished was 
that slave labor had ceased to be profitable in that manufac- 
turing section. There was a demand for the skilled labor of 
tile mechanic or the artisan, but not the crude labor of the 
negro. Perhaps, also, a certain feeling of jealousy at the 
rapidly increasing prosperity and development of the South, 
under slave labor, had something to do with the ardor of 
their arguments. Jt was true that the labor of the slave in 
the cotton and cane fields of the South was becoming more 
and more ])r()fitable, and more and more in demand as the 
invention of machinery caused an increased use of cotton, 
and as the markets of the world were opened for the sale of 
sugar. 

But the eft'orts of those fighting the institution of slav- 
ery, and those interi)osing barriers in the way of its exten- 
sion, were not confined to the North, but every possible 
method was employed to produce discontent in the minds of 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 121 

the slave. The prosperity and hap])iness of the nei^ro in the 
free states of the Xorth, with his httle farm and home, with 
])lentv of labor and jj^ood pay, with the freedom and hl)erty of 
his white neighbor — tliis and mucli more — mueh of it with- 
out (hie regard always to truth — was told to the slave of the 
South, and no wonder it worked on his feelings even to the 
point of revolt or attempted escai)e. It was not necessary 
that the missionary of freedom should visit every plantation 
and i)resent this picture to each slave, but communicate it to 
a few in each neighborhood, and it would spread from lip to 
lip, from plantation to plantation, like wild fire, until the 
brain of the entire negro ])opulation of the South was in- 
flamed. Then it became only a ([uestion of courage or of 
daring as to who would make the effort to escape. To a 
majority of them it appeared a hopeless task to evade blood- 
hounds and cruel slave hunters in an eft'ort to reach a North- 
ern state, and here many decided to resign themselves to their 
fate and remain. Many who might undertake the venture 
were hampered with a wife and children which they could 
never think of leaving; but instances are on record where a 
man w^ould be successful in reaching a free state and gain his 
freedom, and long afterward, "when the cruel war was over," 
be rejoined by his long-abandoned family, and spend the re- 
mainder of their days together. I'ut there would usually be 
found a man on nearly every large ])lantation who would 
incur the risk of jnusuit, capture, and perha])s death, and 
l)oldlv set out for the "promised land," as the Xorth was 
called. He usually had no difficulty in finding one or more 
individuals as (les])erate and daring as himself, and the peril- 
ous journey would begin. These fugitives had l)een assured 



122 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

that after they had escaped from their immediate neighbor- 
hood thev would find white men who would conceal them 
from their pursuers, supply them with food, and when dan^^er 
of capture was past, direct them on to other white persons, 
who would do the same for them, until they would be safely 
escorted to a land of liberty. Night time, of course, was 
selected in which to set out on the journey, and most, if not 
all their travels were by the light of the moon and stars. The 
line of persons who had thus secretly banded themselves to- 
gether for the purpose of aiding slaves to escape to free terri- 
tory was termed the Underground Railroad. They stretched 
across the country as a chain, from the far South to various 
points in the borders of free states. If only a slave could the 
first or second night succeed in finding one of these "agents" 
he would have a reasonably fair chance of ultimate success, 
but it was by no means certain that the combined cflforts of 
the Underground Railroad operators could prevent his being 
overtaken and captured. Whenever the fugitive reached the 
home of one operator, if enough darkness remained, he was 
conveyed in some manner, to the liome of the next one who 
would conceal him until night again came on, and then convey 
him to the next station. The roads were not generally used, 
but the way usually led across hills, ridges, and even moun- 
tains by unfrequented paths, and as pursuit in every case was 
to be expected, the greatest caution had to be exercised in 
order to throw ofif the bloodhounds from the track as often as 
possible by various methods. These vicious dogs were 
nearly always used to hunt down the slave, and the fierce 
bark of the blood-thirsty animal on his trail would be suffi- 
cient to send a thrill of des])air through his frame. Often, 



LAST OP THE PIONEERS 123 

however, he was provided with a gun and bayonet with which 
he would frequently succeed in killing or wounding the dogs, 
and finally escape. Some of the most thrilling incidents of 
encounters with these ferocious brutes are related by those 
who have been thus pursued and attacked by them. Often, 
without any means of defense against them, when cwertaken, 
the poor man was obliged to climb out of their reach and 
there patiently sit and wait for his pursuers to come up, who 
would make him come down and, handcuffed, drive him back 
again to a more galling bondage. But many resolved on 
starting to escape or to die in the attempt, and would provide 
the necessary means of defense or protection, and many in- 
stances are on record of bloody encounters with such desper- 
ate fugitives, when overtaken by dogs or men. They would 
fight to the death, and would struggle with their i)ursuers 
with the madness of desperation, and often leave men and 
dogs dead or dying, and renew their mad flight for freedom. 
And when, at last, they had succeeded, amidst sufi'ering, hun- 
ger, hardship, and mortal dread of capture, in reaching a 
place where they were free, it was seldom to find what had 
been pictured to them, and never fully realizing their hopes 
and expectations. No doubt many a poor, deluded slave, 
stinging with the remorse of disappointment, would have 
gladly exchanged his Northern freedom for the plentiful hog 
and hominy of the sunny South. He could, in his solitude, 
be heard to hum the old familiar plantation melody. 

"I's gwine back to Dixie; No more Tsc gwinc to waiKU'r." 

The slave-power had enacted very stringent laws relat- 
ing to runaway slaves. These laws imposed heavy fines and 
other penalties on all persons aiding in any way. slaves in 



124 LAST Of THE PIONEERS 

escaping from their masters. To give them food or shelter, 
to conceal them from ])iirsuers, to give them directions for 
traveling, constituted grave violations of these laws, and the 
ofifenders were prosecuted to their fullest extent. In very 
manv instances, such heavy fines were imposed as to sweep 
away every dollar's worth of the violator's property. 

Some who assisted slaves to escape to freedom were put 
into prison on the charge of slave-stealing, and there wore 
away, in dark, dingy, filthy cells, the best years of their lives, 
but without a murmur, as they had, at first, deliberately as- 
siuned the responsibility and consequences of such proceed- 
ings. 

lUit the operators of this Underground Railroad seldom 
asked the name of an escaping slave, and and not often con- 
sented to listen to their tale of woe, for it was always pre- 
sumed to be the same in every case. Neither would they 
ever disclose to a fugitive their own names, and, hence, es- 
caped detection unless the slaves were foimd hidden on their 
l)remises, or were apprehended while in the act of conveying 
him away. In the latter case, immediate arrest, a trial be- 
fore a pro-slavery court, and a sentence to the full limit of the 
law was imposed. Some active agents for escaping slaves 
were the victims of assassination ; still i)eo])le all over the 
country paid no heed to the summary execution of the fugi- 
tive slave laws, and voluntaril}- undertook the work, sub- 
jecting themselves to the vengeance of the slave hunters who 
usually posed as officers of the law. 

in the state of (jcorgia, there was a slave and his wife 
in whose bosoms 1)urned an unconquerable desire to breathe 
the air of freedom. This desire at last became so strong as 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 



VH 



.) 



to assume the form of a resolve to make the attempt. So 
many who had taken passage on the Underground Railroad, 
had been dragged back into slavery and cruelly i)unished for 
their attempted escape, that these two feared to undertake it. 
The\- thought over and discussed many plans, l)ut each would 
seem to contain a weak feature that promised to defeat their 
efforts and cause the enterprise to result in failure. Then, 
too, so many had attempted, and so many had succeeded, 
that the slave owners were exercising increased vigilance, 
and the plans that had once succeeded, would be sure to fail 
now. 

So, at last, they decided on a plan of escape. The man 
was very black, ])ut at the same time very shrewd, and of the 
most engaging manners and conversation. The wife was 
very fair, the Saxton blood predominating to such an extent 
as to almost exclude the black. They decided that she was 
to assume the roll of a young Southern planter, who for some 
reason or other, was traveling North with his slave. She 
was to assume all the haughty demeanor of the white slave 
owner, and, owing to lier excellent judgment and rare pres- 
ence of mind under lr\ing circumstances, was al)le to do so 
admirably. They had calculated the close scrutiny to which 
thev would be su1)jecte(l, tlie reward that would lie offered for 
their detection and return and tlie i)ossible and probable con- 
tingencies that would arise, and .so the wife decided on cer- 
tain disguises to wear. She was, throughout the journey, 
to be the victim of a terrible toothache, and to have her jaws 
wrai)ped and bandaged so as to conceal certain of her features 
that might occasion suspicion, and subject her to an uncere- 



126 LAST OF THE PIONEERS 

nionious examination which might prove annoying and cer- 
tainly fatal to the undertaking. She of course, was, on ac- 
count of her affliction, excused from conversations, and the 
slave, being fully equal to every occasion, would answer all 
questions for his young master, and make all explanations. 
Anticipating occasions where it would be necessary to regis- 
ter at hotels, the young man had met with the misfortune of 
a serious accident to his right arm which he carried in a sling. 
They did not take an underground route, but traveled in the 
most open manner by whatever conveyance was most conven- 
ient, be it railway, steamboat, or stage-coach ; and by so doing 
made the journey much sooner than if they had adopted any 
other plan. The young planter was very closely questioned 
on many occasions, and detection seemed imminent more than 
once, but the ready wit and shrewdness of the slave servant^ 
and the success of the pretended ailments of the young plan- 
ter saved them. They passed through all the large cities 
from Macon to Philadelphia. Arriving safel}' at the latter 
place, they were free from danger at present, and the young 
planter's toothache was relieved, and his diseased arm cured^ 
but his (her) nervous system had undergone such a strain 
that she was prostrated for quite a while. After a time they 
went to Boston to live, and were contented, happy, and pros- 
perous until the fugitive slave laws were passed, and then the 
slave hunters were after them at once. Their friends would 
not allow them to be taken back to bondage, but to avoid the 
annoyance, they were aided in going to Great Britain, where 
they remained until the Emancipation Proclamation made 
them men and women instead of jiroperty, when they came 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 127 

l)ack to America, and settled in Georgia and lived in peace 
and happiness. 

PHARAOH'S AGE— BILL OF SALE 

The writer regrets that the limits assigned to this vol- 
ume forbid the insertion of many interesting incidents rela- 
ted by this remarkable old man. and many particulars con- 
cerning his eventful life. He deems it sufficient, in closing, 
to state that Pharaoh was purchased by Mr. Jackson, and 
originally cost $1,000 ; but on account of his age, when sold 
at the administrator's sale, only brought $421, or less than 
half his former value. Though represented in the following- 
Bill of Sale as fifty years of age, he was undoubtedly sixty 
or more. The writer is informed by several gentlemen, 
whose ages now range from seventy-five to ninety-three 
years, that L^ncle Ferry was an old man, too old to do a regu- 
lar slave's work when purchased by Mr. Chesney in 1811. 
Allowing him to have been sixty when sold in 181:1 — which 
is a very reasonable supposition — his present age would be 
one hundred and twenty-one years ! 

Following is a verbatim copy of the Bill of Sale, rend- 
ered to Mr. Chesney, on the purchase of Uncle Ferry (Pha- 
raoh). The original document is now in the possession of 
INIr. W. R. Kelley, administrator of the estate of his grand- 
father, John Chesney, deceased. Mr. Kelley was, for several 
years, receiver of Ferry for the allowance to the old man 
from the county. Through his kindness the writer is en- 
abled to present this copy to his readers. He also acknowl- 



128 I.ASr OF THE PIONEERS 

edges other favors extended by the same gentleman in the 
preparation of this vohmie. 

BILL OF SALE. 

"Know all men by these presents that 1, Corbin Jackson, 
administrator of the estate of Johnathan Jackson, deceased, 
for the sum of $421 i)aid l)y John Chesney, the receipt where- 
of is herel)y acknowledged, did sell to the said John Chesney 
a certain mulatto man. a slave for life, named Ferry, fifty 
years of age at the time of sale, which took place a1)out \o- 
vember 25, 184L 1. the administrator of the said estate of 
the said Johnathan Jackson, did in Xovember, 1<S4L sell the 
said Ferry a slave for life, and deliver him to the said John 
Chesney, his heirs and assigns forever. 1 do herel\v war- 
rant and forever defend the title to said slave. Ferry, to the 
said John Chesney, his heirs, etc., against the lawful claims 
of all manner of i)ersons whatsoever. In witness whereof. 
1 do hereunto subscribe my name and affix my seal. January 
8, 1841. All of Grainger County, Tennessee. 

(Signed) CORLilX JACKSUX. ( Seal ). 

His 

Test: Sam Shields. Thomas X Mynatt. William Sevier." 

mark. 

( )n the back is marked. "Corbin Jackson, liill of Sale to 
Jolin Chesne\ , ^'ellow l>oy. l^'errw" 

Remark — The name IMiaraoh was shortened, for con- 
venience in speaking it, to "Farry." which was corrupted to 
"Ferry," as the old man has always been called. 



LAST OF THE PIONEERS 129 

CONCLUSION. 

"Mors propter brcvitatcui vitac nnnqiiani longc abest." 
Last of the pioneers ! And soon, perhaps before these 
pages meet the eye of the reader, will the oar of the silent 
boatman touch the shore of time for this last one. Soon will 
thrill for the last time the time-worn frame, and rekindle the 
time-dimmed eye for the last time at the recital of incidents, 
and awakened memories of sights and scenes of long ago. 
And when these lips have embraced the silence of the grave, 
then will go down the curtain on the rich stores of tradition 
and reminiscence which will be forever lost to the world. 
The lights then extinguished will burn in no other hands, and 
the task of rescuing the already fading memories of those 
who will soon be no more, will perhaps be appreciated. 

The sole representative of pioneer days sits calmly in his 
cabin awaiting the summons for his departure to a republic 
where the slave is at last e(|ual with his master ; where the 
creditor loses his usury, and the debtor is acquitted of his ob- 
ligation ; where comfort comes to all whom time can not con- 
sole ; and freedom to all whom time can not release. 

Brci'is a Deo nobis T'ifa data est: at iiieiiioria bene 
redditae I'itae senipiterna. 



FINIS 



3> 



AD 10. ,9 









I 



P 






£ 



n 








.'b-' vO^ ° 



t » « 




4,^ c^V 



o 









0> .J^ - '^bv^ 



^v^ 

^ -^^ 




^ 'X 



0^' 



•^ 








A^ <> 







,^' ,>!i*^:-/V ,^^\*;^^*' '^-^^ 



* <Z '> • 







